Limitations and Benefits
Previous: Repeatable and Reproducible
To see the benefits and limitations of logic and rule-based thought is
important. We should not say or judge or conclude too much when facts and
evidence are missing, hidden, withheld or uncertain. Faulty, misleading
suggestions need to be recognized. More can be suggested than proven. The
methods of arithmetic and logic are but tools for reaching conclusions when
reliable information and rules are available to be put together.
The question of what rules to apply is always present. Untested rules say
what might occur. They should be used only with suspicion. The more reliable and
tested rules are to be preferred. Rule-based reason gives certainty or agreement
in some situations, not all. We need to identify the level of uncertainty in all
the rules and information we use. Such awareness allows the recognition of the
weak or weakest spots in our reasoning or judgment processes.
Next: Accidental Rules and
Patterns
|