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~logic~ Discovery Or Invention? - Religion - Nairaland

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~logic~ Discovery Or Invention? by sinequanon: 11:46am On Apr 03, 2010
[size=16pt]I believe logic to be an invention and not a discovery as such. Moreover, logic reflects a consensus and not some universal truth.

Our evolution has a symbiotic relationship with our logic.

We invent our outlook and our logic and we evolve in line with it. Our evolved form, physical and psychological, also biases the direction of our logic.

If we are unaware of this symbiosis, our logic can appear to be absolute and a discovery of something outside ourselves. If we discover anything through logic, it is ourselves -- our values, choices and related evolution.

Hence, the dialectic is useless when arguing religion vs science. They are inventions.

Your thoughts, please. . .[/size]
Re: ~logic~ Discovery Or Invention? by PastorAIO: 9:15pm On Apr 04, 2010
Russell's Paradox
First published Fri Dec 8, 1995; substantive revision Wed May 27, 2009
Russell's paradox is the most famous of the logical or set-theoretical paradoxes. The paradox arises within naive set theory by considering the set of all sets that are not members of themselves. Such a set appears to be a member of itself if and only if it is not a member of itself, hence the paradox.



Significance of the paradox

The significance of Russell's paradox can be seen once it is realized that, using classical logic, all sentences follow from a contradiction. For example, assuming both P and ~P, any arbitrary proposition, Q, can be proved as follows: from P we obtain P ∨ Q by the rule of Addition; then from P ∨ Q and ~P we obtain Q by the rule of Disjunctive Syllogism. Because of this, and[size=15pt] because set theory underlies all branches of mathematics, many people began to worry that, if set theory was inconsistent, no mathematical proof could be trusted completely[/size].

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/russell-paradox/
Re: ~logic~ Discovery Or Invention? by sinequanon: 10:13pm On Apr 05, 2010
^^

Yes, if one contradiction stands (P and not P) any arbitrary proposition follows, making the entire field of logic vacuous. Naive set theory, although it is still widely referenced, has been superseded by some other approaches. It demonstrates just how tenuous the idea of consistency actually is.

We also have incompleteness as per Godels Incompleteness Theorem.

In a similar vein, the set of real numbers is remarkably unreal. It contains an uncountably infinite set of numbers, but only a countable subset of them can actually be defined. The number of possible definitions mathematics is able to make, is countable. This means that the overwhelming part of the set of real numbers have never, and can never, be specified. Yet mathematics relies on them fundamentally, especially in aspects of continuity and calculus.
Re: ~logic~ Discovery Or Invention? by jagunlabi(m): 10:27pm On Apr 05, 2010
Logic is not an invention but a discovery.As we uncover better understanding of the world we live in, we also discover new and better informed logic.
Example, back in the days when the whole thought the planet earth to be flat, it was against logical reasoning to say that it was spherical because of the seemingly obvious fact that anyone living at the down end of the ball would surely fall off.But as the law of gravity was discovered and applied, so did a new and better informed logic surfaced as well to successfully argue that people can't fall off even if they live down under.

Parameters upon which logical reasoning is based is continually changing as we know more about our universe and how it works.As we discover new informations, we also discover new logic to go with them.IMHO.
Re: ~logic~ Discovery Or Invention? by sinequanon: 11:17pm On Apr 05, 2010
Roundness is a paradigm. All it means in this case is that we find it convenient to communicate our ideas using that particular sense of geometry. That is deeply anthropological -- a statement about human perception and not about universal truth.

In fact, even according to relativity theory, a particle approaching the earth at close to the speed of light sees a flat earth due to the Lorentz Contraction.

So even in a scientific context, the earth is neither round nor flat or anything in between. What we have are models or descriptions that we purportedly find simple to conceptualise, depending on application. But that sense of what is simple is an historical and politically enforced and established consensus. It is far from an absolute truth.
Re: ~logic~ Discovery Or Invention? by Ogaga4Luv(m): 11:35pm On Apr 05, 2010
[size=13pt]Human life is full of decisions, including significant choices about what to believe. Although everyone prefers to believe what is true, we often disagree with each other about what that is in particular instances. It may be that some of our most fundamental convictions in life are acquired by haphazard means rather than by the use of reason, but we all recognize that our beliefs about ourselves and the world often hang together in important ways. [/size]
Re: ~logic~ Discovery Or Invention? by Ogaga4Luv(m): 12:03am On Apr 06, 2010
[size=13pt]The term "logic" is often used in many different ways. It is sometimes understood broadly as the systematic study of the principles of good reasoning. As such logic is not very different from critical thinking. But sometimes "logic" is understood more narrowly as what we might call "deductive logic". Roughly speaking, deductive logic is mainly about the consistency of statements and beliefs, as well as the validity of arguments. smiley[/size]
Re: ~logic~ Discovery Or Invention? by PastorAIO: 11:33am On Apr 06, 2010
Ogaga4Luv:

[size=13pt]The term "logic" is often used in many different ways. It is sometimes understood broadly as the systematic study of the principles of good reasoning. As such logic is not very different from critical thinking. But sometimes "logic" is understood more narrowly as what we might call "deductive logic". Roughly speaking, deductive logic is mainly about the consistency of statements and beliefs, as well as the validity of arguments. smiley[/size]

How I wish that Huxley, the grandmaster of critical thinking were around to join in this conversation.

jagunlabi:

Logic is not an invention but a discovery.As we uncover better understanding of the world we live in, we also discover new and better informed logic.
Example, back in the days when the whole thought the planet earth to be flat, it was against logical reasoning to say that it was spherical because of the seemingly obvious fact that anyone living at the down end of the ball would surely fall off.But as the law of gravity was discovered and applied, so did a new and better informed logic surfaced as well to successfully argue that people can't fall off even if they live down under.

Parameters upon which logical reasoning is based is continually changing as we know more about our universe and how it works.As we discover new informations, we also discover new logic to go with them.IMHO.

But how pre-existent was the discovery in the first place. What is the relationship between physical 'reality' and the evolution of our thoughts and consciousness. Ie. perhaps when people thought the earth was flat that was because it WAS flat. LOL. Perhaps we are 'inventing' the things that we 'discover'. Just that we are not aware of how our minds are inventing those things so we think that they were there before we 'discovered' them.
Re: ~logic~ Discovery Or Invention? by Ogaga4Luv(m): 4:56pm On Apr 07, 2010
[size=13pt]Very soon Huxley is coming to share on this. . . .i guest by now , he must have been busy at work. smiley[/size]
Pastor AIO:

How I wish that Huxley, the grandmaster of critical thinking were around to join in this conversation.

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