>> But how often do we need to use formal logic to solve practical,
>> real-life problems in a hunting and gathering society? Granted,
>> a capacity for rigorous, logical reasoning helps a college
>> student to pass Justin's philosophy course; but you're
>> confusing success in a rarified academic environment with
>> success in a quite different social context!
>>
>> Miles
>
> Didn't some hunter-gatherer have to figure out how to catch fish? Before
> he
> or she did, presumably remembering where the fish were wouldn't have been
> of
> much use.
It may be helpful to recognize that formal logic is just that: a formalization of reason. Humans have always reasoned, even in hunter- gatherer societies (say, figuring out what part of the savannah might have some decent veggies, what the ibex might run if the tribe attacks from downwind, etc.). We may do it imperfectly, and imperfect reasoning may actually serve us sufficiently in many respects. But that's no reason to dismiss logic as something appropriate only for specific environments.