>>It seems to me that if we want to apply logic, then we would have to live our lives according to the dictates of self-preservation. After all, isn't self-preservation our main impetus as human beings? It means that we would never do anything that might be at all dangerous, exciting, or, well... fun. Doing those things does not grow out of logical thinking, but from our emotional and psychological needs - which are really not logical.
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>Premise 1: sky diving makes me happy
>Premise 2: I want to be happy
>Conclusion: I'll go sky diving

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>That's an argument for being dangerous that fulfills emotional needs that is obviouslly based on logic.

Hmmm... If logic dictates only looking at part of the situation, then yes, that's logic.

However, for me, logic dictates looking at all of the situation.

Premise 1. Sky diving makes me happy
Premise 2. I want to be happy.
Premise 3. Sky diving can kill me.
Premise 4. I don't want to be dead.

Conclusion: I'll go sky diving.

Logical? Not necessarily. I see it as a conclusion dictated by emotional need, not by logic. Now we, can dance around this forever, but for me, there are things I do due to emotional and psychological need, and things I do based on logic. As far as I can tell (analysing myself only), they don't necessarily coincide. They certainly can, but for something like sky diving... well, is it really logical to do something that has a very real chance of killing or maiming you merely for a thrill? Sorry, can't see it.

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>As time goes by, my premises my change. Here's a more complicated example:
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>Premise 1: sky diving makes me happy
>Premise 2: I want to be happy
>Premise 3: with my bad knee, sky diving would injure me badly
>Premise 4: being injured badly would make me unhappy
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>Though this isn't straightforward boolean logic anymore, it is still a type of economics logic. You're going to weigh up the risks and the benefits in making your decision
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>In the end, though, it should be said that its not a "logical deduction" that leads your way, but practicing the scientific method of coming up with ideas, trying them out, and learning from your results. A logical and rational thing to do, in my opinion.

The logical thing to do when one has the idea of jumping out of an airplane, is to lay down until the urge passes. After all, what can one learn from hitting the earth at many miles per second if the chute doesn't open? The emotional thing to do might well be to go and jump out of that plane. And it might even have a sense of rationality about it in that one doesn't have to be insane to go ahead and do it. Sane people often do just that. But to argue that it is an act based in the science of logic seems to be stretching the definition some to me.