general

definition of reasoning

It is the ability to think that all human beings have and that is undoubtedly the characteristic that distinguishes them from the rest of the living species. The development of reason is nothing other than the possibility of thinking and in that act recognizing oneself as a thinking being, imagining, dreaming, projecting, calculating, etc. In short, to separate from the mere feeling or from the simple sensations and instinct and rise towards something higher, which makes us human.

The ability to reason: what has made us what we are

It is clear that without the ability to think and reason we would not be what we are. As living beings we have all the same characteristics, traits and capacities as the rest of the living beings. We need to feed, sleep, reproduce. These are the natural elements and the basic functions of our body that must be satisfied. But at some point in history, in the process of hominization, primates managed to develop a way of thinking higher than that of the rest of the animals and could, through different species, reach what we human beings are today.

The possibility of thinking and the use of reason is what distinguishes us from all other living beings. This capacity allows us to understand ourselves as separate subjects from the rest, it gives us a much wider range of possibilities than that of bodily sensations and instincts, and it allows us to reflect on our existence. Reason at the same time gives us the possibility to remember, to create systematic languages, to imagine, to dream, to think about the past and the future, it allows us to create our identity.

Biology, education, environment, and personal predisposition, keys in the development of reasoning

Reasoning has a biological component evidenced in the brain structure of human beings; the synaptic relationships between neurons are what allow the infinite operations of the intellect.

In order to achieve the aforementioned objective, that is, its mission, reason will use a series of principles that by their nature people assume as universally true, these are: identity principle (shows that a concept is that concept), principle of non-contradiction (proposes that a concept cannot be and not be at the same time) and excluded third principle (Suppose that between being and not being of a concept, an intermediate situation is not accepted.

There are two main types of reasoning, the deductive, on the one hand, that he considers that the conclusion is implicit in the premises and the inductive that obtains general conclusions from something particular.

Now, for reason to develop and act correctly, it must be exercised through the constant use of reason. The education that human beings have access to since we are children will help us in this sense because the various subjects we take will allow us to exercise memory, understanding, creativity, among other faculties of our reason.

And another issue that also affects the development of reasoning is the context in which we live and grow. If a person grows up in an environment devoid of possibilities in every aspect, surely they will not be able to develop, like other pairs that do, in the same way reasoning.

Then, the biology of each one, education and family conditions will be factors that directly affect the correct development and functioning of reasoning.

Degenerative mental illnesses, the great enemies of the mind

The main problem that reasoning faces, and which may not have a solution according to the severity of the cases, are mental or degenerative diseases that directly affect the functioning of the brain.

Alzheimer's disease is one of the most forceful in this regard since it affects memory, the way of thinking, behavior, perception, among others. Whoever suffers from this disease will suffer the loss of their memory and the rest of their intellectual abilities.

There are several predisposing factors to suffer from this disease such as advanced age, although, we must also say that it can occur in people who are not so old yet; direct relatives who have suffered it: siblings or parents; and some genes.

The picture can be diagnosed by a doctor after having subjected the patient to: a neurological examination, having recognized symptoms, reviewing his medical history and performing some tests of his mental function.

Reason is all we know and believe

The human being is the only living being that can create things, from simple and inanimate objects to abstract concepts and ideas such as religion, the past, philosophy. All these actions are possible from the use of reason, that capacity that is a mixture of physical and chemical elements that occur in our brain but also of emotional and mental aspects that cannot only be understood from the scientific point of view.

The possibility of thinking, of reflecting, of creating the world that surrounds us is something unique. Much of our daily life has been created by human beings from their reasoning, including the way in which we interact with nature and manage to control it when it can become unpredictable or dangerous. The cultures in the world, the objects we use, the religions we believe in, complex sensations like love are all consequences of reason and the ability to rise above the mere physical organism that is given to us.

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