Logic & Philosophy of Language 1-2

I. INTRODUCTION

2. Logic and other Philosophical Disciplines

Logic, Metaphysics, Gnoseology and Psychology
How are these branches of Philosophy related?
Logic, Mathematics, Computers and Artificial Intelligence
Does Logic have anything to do with Mathematics, Computers and Artificial Intelligence?
Logic, Linguistics, Semiotics, Philosophy of Language and Philosophy of Science
How does Logic relate to all these other fields?

LOGIC versus THE REST OF THE WORLD

NOTES:

Material object = scope of study. Formal object = angle from which the material object is studied.
If you have not taken the other subjects mentioned, all you need to know here is that these fields of study differ from one another, though at first they do not seem to be so. No need to worry if you cannot figure out the differences yet. These will clear up when you study the other branches of Philosophy.

LOGIC, MATHEMATICS, COMPUTERS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Mathematics, computers, artificial intelligence--all these would not work without logic. If ordinary life required logic, these more rigorous areas of knowledge require it even more.

LOGIC AND LANGUAGE-RELATED FIELDS

Recall the previous lesson's distinction among language (speaking/writing), knowledge (thinking), and reality (being).

Consider the following passage from Aristotle's Peri hermeneias (On interpretation), known as the semantic triangle or linguistic triad:

"Spoken words (phone) then are the symbols (symbola) of affections of the soul (pathemata) and written words (graphomena) are symbols of spoken words (phone).

"And just as written letters (grammata) are not the same for all humans, neither are spoken words.

"But what these primarily are signs (semeia) of, the affections of the soul (pathemata), are the same for all, as also are those things (pragmata) are the same for all, of which our affections are likenesses (homoiomata)."

QUESTIONS TO EXPLORE BY YOURSELF

Can you connect the dots? Link up the different fields of study with the elements in Aristotle's semantic triangle.
Make a diagram and compare with your answer in the previous lesson.

Please contact jmomandia at gmail dot com for any heresies found here.

First Edition. Hong Kong, 23 August 2006

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