Questions tagged [logic]

Use this tag for general questions about logic that are not categorizable under some more specific tag, like "mathematical logic", "informal logic", "classical logic", etc.

Logic is the study of formal systems of reasoning, especially of the deductive variety. It is one of the fundamental philosophical subdisciplines.

The traditional approach to logic, starting with Aristotle, is syllogistic logic. The introduction of mathematical methods during the late 19th century and with it the formulation of first-order logic have resulted in a complete transformation of the field. This development allowed philosophers and logicians to raise and answer questions about the foundations of mathematics.

During the second part of the 20th century many philosophical logics have been introduced in order to tackle many other questions in philosophy.

Key notions of logic are formal languages, proofs and truth.

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Is it a fallacy if someone claims they need an explanation for every word of your argument to the point where they don't understand common terms?

Is it a fallacy if someone claims they need an explanation for every word of your argument to the point where they don't understand common terms? For example, suppose someone said, "If a dog bites people, then it's a vicious dog." Then someone…
dogperson
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What is the difference between Fact and Truth?

I'm curious about the difference between Fact and Truth. I was searching on the internet if I could find it. But still I'm confused about the exact meaning. I first read the forum discussion here Fact and Truth where an author has given two examples…
NullPointer
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Isn't the notion that everything will occur in an infinite timeline an example of the gambler's fallacy?

I've seen a few different formulations of this, but the most famous is "monkeys on a typewriter" - that if you put a team of monkeys on a typewriter, given infinite time, they will eventually produce the works of Shakespeare, and indeed every text…
Lou
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What is the difference between a statement and a proposition?

I'm doing a MOOC on mathematical philosophy and the lecturer drew a distinction between a proposition and a statement. This is very puzzling to me. My background is in math and I regard those two words as synonymous. I looked on Wikipedia and it…
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Difference between implication/conditional and logical entailment?

What is the difference between the implication/conditional truth function and the notion of logical entailment? My naive understanding as a computer programmer is that the conditional is a function on two Boolean inputs, whereas entailment is some…
user
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Where is the weakness in the ontological proof for God's existence?

I read the ontological proof for God's existence. As much as I understood, it says that if you consider that existence is part of essence, then the most complete essence should also exist. Now, I see that as a perfect, flawless argument, on the…
Saeed Neamati
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What are the major research programmes in contemporary logic?

As an interested outsider who is prone to reading about different formulations of logic, I've become interested in better understanding the big picture of what people are trying to accomplish as they are researching logic, or merely talking about…
Niel de Beaudrap
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Is infinite regress of causation possible? Is infinite regress of causation necessary?

For a number of reasons — including perhaps a desire to feel that we have a complete understanding of where we came from, or at least an understanding which is completely sufficient for all of our purposes — there is a strong tendency to suppose…
Niel de Beaudrap
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What is modal logic for?

I understand "pure" logic as a structural description of what a valid proof is but I have never understood the reasons for using modal logic. What's an example typical of how modal logic is used?
user3085
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Is the claim "this coin is fair" falsifiable?

Wikipedia says, The claim "No human lives forever" is not falsifiable since one would have to observe a human living forever to falsify that claim. Thinking on similar lines, even if the coin is fair, it can produce a arbitrarily…
AIB
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What are the philosophical implications of category theory?

I have heard about topoi being the ideal entities to use for foundations of mathematics (since we are able to reasonably interpret our theories in them), so I imagine there might possibly be some reasons for using categories in (an intuitionistic…
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What type of rhetorical device is the offering of a source which is really long and not specifying what part of the source is relevant?

I'm encountering a frequent recurrence of a rhetorical device that seems to me fallacious but I can't figure out what it's called. When making an argument, the person does the following: Makes a claim that is unrealistic. Provides a source which…
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What is the difference between "reductio ad absurdum" and "proof by contradiction"?

What is the exact difference between reductio ad absurdum and proof by contradiction? Wikipedia used to state that: Reductio ad absurdum (Latin: "reduction to the absurd") is a form of argument in which a proposition is disproven by following its…
loudandclear
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What fallacy dismisses problems by presenting "bigger" problems?

Wasn't really sure how to phrase this, but I'm thinking of an instance in which someone diminishes a problem by presenting one of larger scope - as a rather shoddy example, "x political problem in America doesn't matter because half the world's…
user2871915
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How is gun violence comparable to drunk driving?

I just read "Is 'guns don't kill people people kill people' a good argument?" and it reminds me of another argument. I would like your opinion on whether or not it is a good argument. Gun Control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it…
Malachi
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