Aristotle and Logical Theory

137 Pages·1980·8.17 MB·English

by  Jonathan Lear

J O N A T H A N
LEAR
o

Aristotle and logical theory
Aristotle was the first and one of the greatest
logicians. He not only devised the first system
of formal logic but also raised many funda
mental problems in the philosophy of logic.
This was a dramatic development in the history
of ideas: a family of concepts and problems
emerged, which defined a new field of enquiry
and which has since shaped its development.
In this book, Dr Lear shows how Aristotle's
discussion of logical consequence, validity and
proof can contribute to contemporary debates
in the philosophy of logic. His book is not an .
historical study of Aristotle but an attempt to
convince the reader that Aristotle is a
philosopher of logic who is still worth thinking
about and arguing with.
This book was written with the student of the
philosophy of logic in mind and the author has
assumed no background knowledge of Aristotle.
Quotations from the Greek are translated. The
book should also be of interest to historians of
ancient philosophy, since it provides a critical
appraisal of Aristotle's own contribution to one
of the several disciplines he founded.
The author is Fellow of Clare College and
Assistant Lecturer in Philosophy in the University
of Cambridge.
Aristotle and logical theory
JONATHAN LEAR
Fellow of Clare College and Assistant Lecturer in Philosophy in the
University of Camhridge
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
CAMBRIDGE
LONDON NEW YORK NEW ROCHELLE
MELBOURNE SYDNEY
Published by the Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB~ IRP
3~ East 57th Street, New York, NY 100~~, USA
~96 Beaconsfield Parade, Middle Park, Melbourne 3~06, Australia
© Cambridge University Press 1980
First published 1980
Set, printed and bound in Great Britain by
Fakenham Press Limited, Fakenham, Norfolk
Lihrary of Congress Cataloguing in Puhlication Data
Lear, Jonathan.
Aristode and logical theory.
Based on the author's thesis, Rockefeller University.
Includes index.
I. Aristoteles - Logic. ~. Logic - History.
1. Title.
B491.L8L38 1980 160'·9~'4 79-~O~73
ISBN 0 pI ~3031 4
To Timothy Smiley

Contents
Prefoce ix
I Syllogistic consequence I
2 Completeness and compactness
3 Hypothetical syllogisms
4 Invalid inferences
5 Invalid proofs
Appendix: A note on 'ignorance'
6 Proof by refutation
Bibliograplty 115
General Index
121
Index locorum
122
'Settle thy studies, Faustus, and begin
To sound the depth of that thou wilt profess;
Having commenc'd, be a divine in show,
Yet level at the end of every art,
And live and die in Aristotle's works.
Sweet Analytics, 'ris thou hast ravish'd me!'
Christopher Marlowe's Dr Faustus