Abstract
Logic is typically characterized as a (or the) theory of inference; but that characterization is a biased and restrictive one. Once we understand a logic, instead, as a theory of the logos—that is, of meaningful discourse: of what makes discourse the vehicle of meaning—we open up a field of possible ways of reasoning and arguing that do not reduce to inferences. It is within this field that the present book moves.
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In the Merriam-Webster dictionary the first definition of “logic” (more about multiple definitions below) is “a science that deals with the principles and criteria of validity of inference and demonstration.” In The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy “logic” is defined as “The general science of inference.”
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Bencivenga, E. (2017). Logic: A Contested Term. In: Theories of the Logos. Historical-Analytical Studies on Nature, Mind and Action, vol 4. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63396-1_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63396-1_1
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-63395-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63396-1
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