Egyptograms

I enjoyed the Egyptogram exercise. I thought it was interesting the way it challenged us to use our reasoning in increasingly difficult situations. It was very enjoyable to complete the activities and feel satisfied that reason had been successfully applied to solve a problem. It was like putting a puzzle together or playing a word game in the newspaper. It was very fun and interesting to actively use reasoning and it helped to learn more about it firs hand. The story at the end of the Egyptogram packet was very interesting as well. I was surprised at first that the Easterners could not answer the Westerners’ syllogism. However I soon realized that this was because of the significant difference in the two cultures. While the Westerners had the opportunities to observe their world in great detail do to the excess time they have on their hands, the Easterners only had the time to pay attention to the most crucial things, things that helped them survive. Therefore the Easterners did not pay attention to the little details around them and so the syllogism, which requires you to notice little details to be able to reason, would seem pointless to them. I believe this is why they did not answer it in the way the Westerners wanted them to.