An Introduction to the Philosophy of Logic

Description

Philosophy of logic is a fundamental part of philosophical study, and one which is increasingly recognized as being immensely important in relation to many issues in metaphysics, metametaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophy of language. This textbook provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to topics including the objectivity of logical inference rules and its relevance in discussions of epistemological relativism, the revived interest in logical pluralism, the question of logic's metaphysical neutrality, and the demarcation between logic and mathematics. Chapters in the book cover the state of the art in contemporary philosophy of logic, and allow students to understand the philosophical relevance of these debates without having to contend with complex technical arguments. This will be a major new resource for students working on logic, as well as for readers seeking a better understanding of philosophy of logic in its wider context.

Daniel Cohnitz is Professor of Theoretical Philosophy at Universiteit Utrecht. He has published widely on metaphilosophy, epistemology, and the philosophy of language and logic. Luis Estrada-Gonzalez is an associate researcher at the Institute for Philosophical Research at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. His research focuses on logic and its philosophy.

'It is about the developments in the field of the philosophy of logic that are characteristic of our contemporary discourse. Accordingly, not only the relevant works of such classics as Frege, Tarski or Quine appear in the volume as reference sources, but also newer text contributions from the last ten to fifteen years in particular. This alone is gratifying and welcome. Everyday academic practice shows that the students' interest in questions that go beyond a mere introduction to logic as such remains undiminished ... How, if anything, are logic, psychology and language related? Is there such a thing as 'logical facts'; and if so, how can we learn from them? Is logical knowledge basically a priori; and if so, how is it that certain logical systems can be modified or even rejected? If you are looking for information on questions of this kind, you are well advised to read this introduction.' translated from Zeitschrift fur philosophische Forschung