Aristotle’s Modal Syllogistic

Aristotle’s Modal Syllogistic
Author: Marko Malink
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2013-11-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0674727541

Aristotle was the founder not only of logic but also of modal logic. In the Prior Analytics he developed a complex system of modal syllogistic which, while influential, has been disputed since antiquity—and is today widely regarded as incoherent. In this meticulously argued new study, Marko Malink presents a major reinterpretation of Aristotle’s modal syllogistic. Combining analytic rigor with keen sensitivity to historical context, he makes clear that the modal syllogistic forms a consistent, integrated system of logic, one that is closely related to other areas of Aristotle’s philosophy. Aristotle’s modal syllogistic differs significantly from modern modal logic. Malink considers the key to understanding the Aristotelian version to be the notion of predication discussed in the Topics—specifically, its theory of predicables (definition, genus, differentia, proprium, and accident) and the ten categories (substance, quantity, quality, and so on). The predicables introduce a distinction between essential and nonessential predication. In contrast, the categories distinguish between substantial and nonsubstantial predication. Malink builds on these insights in developing a semantics for Aristotle’s modal propositions, one that verifies the ancient philosopher’s claims of the validity and invalidity of modal inferences. Malink recognizes some limitations of this reconstruction, acknowledging that his proof of syllogistic consistency depends on introducing certain complexities that Aristotle could not have predicted. Nonetheless, Aristotle’s Modal Syllogistic brims with bold ideas, richly supported by close readings of the Greek texts, and offers a fresh perspective on the origins of modal logic.

Time and Modality

Time and Modality
Author: Arthur N. Prior
Publisher: John Locke Lecture
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2003
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0198241585

The relationship between formal logic and general philosophy is discussed under headings such as A Re-examination of Our Tense-Logical Postulates, Modal Logic in the Style of Frege, and Intentional Logic and Indeterminism.

Logical Studies

Logical Studies
Author: Georg Henrik Von Wright
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2000
Genre: Logic
ISBN: 9780415225472

First Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Galen and the Syllogism

Galen and the Syllogism
Author: Nicholas Rescher
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Pre
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2010-11-23
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0822975610

In this book, Nicholas Rescher seeks to settle debates about whether Galen originated the fourth figure of the categorical syllogism. For his definitive evidence, Rescher examines Arabic sources, one of which is "On the Fourth Figure of the Syllogism" by twelfth-century mathematician Ibn al-Salah, and is reproduced here in Arabic with an annotated English translation. Rescher also explores the history and importance of the syllogistic figures in the evolution of logic in Islamic and European cultures, and discusses the debate about the actual number of syllogistic figures.

Logical Modalities from Aristotle to Carnap

Logical Modalities from Aristotle to Carnap
Author: Adriane Rini
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2016-09-15
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1107077885

Introduces readers to the history of necessity and possibility, two modal concepts which play a key role in philosophy.

Polish Analytical Philosophy

Polish Analytical Philosophy
Author: Henryk Skolimowski
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2024-03-08
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1003853110

First published in 1967, Polish Analytical Philosophy presents the first comprehensive study of Polish analytical philosophy that has been written in Polish or English, traces the origin of the Polish analytical movement, it's development in the period between the World Wars, and its decline after the Second World War. The book shows that although inspired by the British movement and in close touch with the Vienna circle, Polish philosophy acquired its own distinctive character. Analytical philosophy in Poland was actively engaged in logic and language but tended rather to be interested in constructing philosophical doctrines which attempted to resolve traditional problems of ontology and epistemology. The author contrasts leading representatives of analytical philosophy in Britain and in Poland, and his study will be a valuable addition to the literature of the analytical trend in Europe.

Substances and Universals in Aristotle's Metaphysics

Substances and Universals in Aristotle's Metaphysics
Author: Theodore Scaltsas
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2010
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780801476358

In this book, Theodore Scaltsas brings the insights of contemporary philosophy to bear on a classic problem in metaphysics that stems from Aristotle's theory of substance. Scaltsas provides an analysis of the enigmatic notions of potentiality and actuality, which he uses to explain Aristotle's substantial holism by showing how the concrete and the abstract parts of a substance form a dynamic, diachronic whole.

Aristotle's Modal Logic

Aristotle's Modal Logic
Author: Richard Patterson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2002-08-22
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780521522335

This 1995 book argues that a proper understanding of Aristotle's modal logic requires an appreciation of its connection to the metaphysics.