If fourteen-year old students received a solid introduction to Aristotle’s logic, it would change their lives; it could help them stay away from trouble, prevent bad decisions and acquire self-confidence. Aristotle (384-322 BC) did not teach ready-made solutions, but methods for solving problems. The purpose of logic is to see beyond the obvious, assess the facts, and draw conclusions that are in line with all available evidence. Aristotle’s teachings on logic and reasoning are presented in his book “Categories” and the twin treatises “Prior Analytics” and “Posterior Analytics.” They outline a method that is easy to grasp, but hard to apply consistently in every area of life. “Categories” is just an introductory work to logic. Its goal is to define terminology to describe the characteristics of objects, plants, animals, and human beings. For instance, Aristotle talks about categories relating to space, time, cause and effect, etc. “Prior Analytics” and “Posterior Analytics” are devoted to a single subject, namely, how to draw correct conclusions from statements and facts. Aristotle uses examples consisting of two statements or facts; he calls those statements “premises” and explains how to use them to draw an accurate conclusion. In Aristotelian terminology, a syllogism typically consists of two premises that lead to a conclusion by means of deductive reasoning. From the premises A and B, we draw an inescapable conclusion that is verifiable and true. In the example “all sentences contain words” and “a story is made of sentences,” we can draw the conclusion that “a story is made of words.” The premises share the term “sentences.” The conclusion connects the “story” and the “words” through the middle term “sentences.” Does Aristotelian logic sound simple? Indeed, it seems easy but we make mistakes all the time. Very often, people will not see the facts that are right before their eyes; their blindness can be self-inflicted or caused by ignorance, tiredness, or fear. Apathy is another reason why we fail to employ Aristotelian logic. People will clearly perceive the premises or facts but fail to draw any conclusions; they will overlook the obvious due to laziness, apathy, or discouragement. “Posterior Analytics” is devoted to inductive reasoning. It is the method for drawing general principles from specific facts, statements, or experiments. The key to accurate inductive logic is to check that the premises and conclusion are connected by a solid, verifiable link, not by chance or coincidence. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/aristotles-teachings-on-logic-and-reasoning/