Vintage Gentleman’s Art of Reason: The Exploration of Logic and Deduction - Part 1

I’ve spent years chasing truth through stories, conversations, and hard-fought lessons. I’ve come to a sobering conclusion: the absence of logic and deduction in our daily discussions, debates, and decisions is unraveling our communities, our culture, and our country.

Look around. Scroll through social media, catch a political shouting match, or try to have a calm conversation about faith, gender, or any hot-button issue. Reason is out. Reaction is in. Deduction is swapped for assumption. We’re drowning in noise. TikTok challenges kids to do stupid things. Influencers sell confusion as empowerment. Adults trade insults for likes, as if outrage is an Olympic sport. We’ve been groomed to react, not reflect. Taught to be angry before we’re informed. We’re a culture addicted to being offended. Civil disagreement? That’s out the window. We’ve reached the point where a difference of opinion can cost someone their life. We are immature. Entitled. Uneducated. And worst of all, we don’t know how to think.

I’m not saying we were ever perfect. But there was a time when being a gentleman meant more than just good manners. It meant thinking clearly. Listening without losing your cool. Disagreeing without demonizing. Discerning truth from spin. Today, the culture, the algorithms, the loudest voices have convinced us that feelings trump facts, outrage is strength, and disagreement justifies destruction. We’re not acting like ladies and gentlemen. We’re barely acting civilized. 

That’s why I’m turning to a book too many have overlooked. Logic; or, The Right Use of Reason, in the Inquiry After Truth by Isaac Watts. Written in 1725, this isn’t some dry academic text. It’s a practical guide for thinking straight in a world full of deception. Watts, a poet, pastor, and pioneer, wrote for regular folks like us, men and women who want to live with purpose, raise kids with conviction, and serve their communities with authenticity. As he put it, logic is “the right use of reason in the inquiry after truth.” Simple, but true.

This isn’t just about being rational. It’s about not being played. Don’t believe every headline you read or soundbite you hear. Take time to listen to people you don't agree with. If you’re only watching, reading, or listening to people who agree with you, you’re not thinking. You’re following. You’re not a leader. You’re a sheep, regurgitating the same script as your echo chamber. And for the love of Pete, stop posting rants on Facebook attacking the other side. You’re not changing anyone’s mind. You’re just looking foolish.

Watts knew that a society’s strength lies in the clarity of its people’s minds. When we lose the ability to think straight, we become pawns in someone else’s story. As a storyteller, I know how narratives can shape lives. The most dangerous ones are the ones we swallow whole without questioning. Watts gives us tools to fight back, laying out six building blocks of clear thinking: Perception, Ideas, Judgment, Propositions, Reasoning, and Method. These are the pillars of a life well-lived, and they’re our way out of this mess. Let’s start with the first. Perception.

Perception: Seeing Through the Fog

Watts begins with perception, how we take in the world through our senses. It’s the raw material of thought, the starting point of all knowledge. But here’s the catch. Our perceptions can trick us. Ever misread a situation because you were stressed or scrolling too fast? Ever bought into a narrative because it felt right, not because it was true? Watts writes, “The senses are the first inlets to all our knowledge,” but they can mislead us if we’re not careful.

Today, we’re bombarded with curated feeds, viral stunts, and talking heads shouting louder than a used car salesman. From social media trends to 24/7 news cycles, the world is fighting to hijack our attention, shaping our perceptions before we can blink. 

A Vintage Gentleman doesn’t just scroll and react. He pauses, observes, and asks, “What’s really going on here?” He listens to different viewpoints, not to nod along, but to test his own perspective. As Watts puts it, “A wise man will make use of his senses, but he will not wholly trust them.”

Takeaway: Train yourself to see clearly. Next time you’re tempted to share a headline, jump into a debate, or buy into a trending narrative, take a beat and a deep breath. Ask, “What am I actually seeing? What’s clouding my view?” Write down what you observe, facts, not feelings, and check if the story holds up. Don’t get played. Question everything.

Watts’ book, Logic, is a lifeline in a world that’s trained us to be fools. It’s a call to rise above the immaturity, entitlement, and polarization that define our culture. As men, we’re called to lead, to protect, to create. We can’t do that if we’re always reacting when provoked, like cast members in a bad reality show. We need to think like gentlemen, clearly, calmly, and with purpose.

Here’s my charge to you. Just stop. Change the channel. Scroll past the feed. Don’t blast your hot-takes on social media. It’s not changing anyone's heart and mind. It’s just adding to the noise. Instead, commit to thinking better. As Watts said, “Truth is the object of our understanding, and the desire of truth should be the spring of all our inquiries.”

This is the first of a seven-part series where we’ll unpack Watts’ six building blocks of clear thinking, each a tool to sharpen your mind and reclaim your clarity, followed by a final post to bring it all together. Here’s what’s coming:

• Part 2: Ideas: Building a Clear Mind. We’ll explore how we form ideas from perceptions, and why clear, distinct concepts are our defense against confusion and manipulation.

• Part 3: Judgment: Weighing the Truth. We’ll dive into forming sound conclusions by comparing ideas, and how to avoid sloppy judgments driven by bias or emotion.

• Part 4: Propositions: Stating Your Case. We’ll cover how to express ideas clearly and logically, building arguments that hold up under scrutiny.

• Part 5: Reasoning: Connecting the Dots. We’ll unpack deduction and induction, showing how to move from observations to conclusions without falling for deception.

• Part 6: Method: Organizing Your Mind. We’ll look at how to structure thoughts for clarity and impact, whether you’re leading a team or teaching your kids.

• Part 7: The Art of Reason in a Foolish World. We’ll synthesize the six building blocks, applying them to modern challenges like social media, polarization, and cultural decay, with a call to live as a reasoned gentleman.

  
  

This week, focus on perception. Pick one moment, maybe a news story, a social media post, or a heated conversation, and practice questioning what you see. Write down the facts. Note what might be clouding your view. Check if you’re being fed a narrative. And always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks. 

Share your experience in the Vintage Gentleman community. Let’s hold each other accountable to think better, live better, and lead better. Until next time, stay sharp, stay true, and let’s reclaim the art of reason together.