The Aftermath of Syllogism

Aristotelian Logical Argument from Avicenna to Hegel

Marco Sgarbi, Matteo Cosci

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781350123151
• eBook ISBN: 9781350043541
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Logic in Philosophy

Syllogism is a form of logical argument allowing one to deduce a consistent conclusion based on a pair of premises having a common term. Although Aristotle was the first to conceive and develop this way of reasoning, he left open a lot of conceptual space for further modifications, improvements and systematizations with regards to his original syllogistic theory. From its creation until modern times, syllogism has remained a powerful and compelling device of deduction and argument, used by a variety of figures and assuming a variety of forms throughout history. The Aftermath of Syllogism investigates the key developments in the history of this peculiar pattern of inference, from Avicenna to Hegel. Taking as its focus the longue durée of development between the Middle Ages and the nineteenth century, this book looks at the huge reworking scientific syllogism underwent over the centuries, as some of the finest philosophical minds brought it to an unprecedented height of logical sharpness and sophistication. Bringing together a group of major international experts in the Aristotelian tradition, The Aftermath of Syllogism provides a detailed, up to date and critical evaluation of the history of syllogistic deduction.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Existence and Modality in Avicenna’s Syllogistic
• 3. Ideology and “Reception” in Renaissance Logic
• 4. Syllogistic and Formal Reasoning: The Cartesian Critique
• 5. Hobbes and the Syllogism
• 6. Syllogism in the Port-Royal Logic
• 7. Locke and Syllogism: The “Perception Grounded” Logic of the Way of Ideas
• 8. Leibniz’s Transformation of the Theory of the Syllogism into an Algebra of Concepts
• 9. Kant’s False Subtlety of the Four Syllogistic Figures in its Intellectual Context
• 10. “Everything Rational is a Syllogism”: Hegel’s Logic of Inference
• Index