7 upvotes, 4 direct replies (showing 4)
View submission: Logic has no foundation - except in metaphysics. Hegel explains why.
The Hegel's argument could be summarized as "because we cannot prove logic itself, we need something higher". But if, like you, we understand logic as just a description of our human method of reasoning, then we don't need any metaphysical "foundation" to support it. We just describe what we do.
that we have never observed an error with this type of classification.
Playing Devil's Advocate here, but a Hegelian would probably answer "how could you know if you need logic in the first place to show this?"
Comment by ADP_God at 31/01/2025 at 13:52 UTC
13 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The ‘higher’ thing here is just the assumption of consistency.
Comment by ragnaroksunset at 31/01/2025 at 14:16 UTC
9 upvotes, 4 direct replies
"because we cannot prove logic itself, we need something higher"
This is in itself axiomatic.
Logic is proven by its utility as compared to the alternative. It may not have been posited purely on the basis of some prior set of principles, but that only matters if you think that the arrival at formal logic was some kind of purely intellectual exercise.
In fact it was a very empirical exercise. And since the reason logic works so well is that it comports to some kind of framework that applies to the way events connect to one another in the world, one can argue that logic as a formalism was effectively bootstrapped.
Given a "higher power" or a bootstrap explanation, it's really just down to whether Occam's razor appears in your toolkit or not.
Comment by ringobob at 31/01/2025 at 14:11 UTC
6 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It's not so much that we need a foundation upon which to establish logic, it's more axiomatic. Logic is the lens through which we're viewing the world, and as such it is valid by definition.
We have not found an alternative way to view the world that offers any particular benefit, so we stick with this lens. But it's not strictly human. Animals use logic all the time.
Comment by Denimcurtain at 31/01/2025 at 15:12 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
We don't need logic if we find something better, but we'd need to know what that something better is to switch.