Logical Forms: Part I - Truth And Description

Logical Forms Part I - Truth and Description (digital)

Catálogo da Coleção CLE

Verifique a disponibilidade para aquisição desse volume impresso >>aqui<<

“Two questions that preoccupied me in the seventies motivated me to write this book. (1) What is the relation between a statement (sentence, proposition) and reality? (2) What is the fundamental character of logic? Part I develops an answer to (1) and Part II (forthcoming) develops an answer to (2). The Introduction and Chapter 1 give an outline of these answers.

As I worked on the book, however, more and more of my life's experience teaching and researching questions of philosophy of logic, philosophy of mathematics and philosophy of language became relevant to the subjects that 1 was discussing. So, the outcome is not just an attempt to answer questions (1) and (2), but is also, and perhaps primarily, a formulation of a working philosophical viewpoint.

My viewpoint is essentially realist and metaphysical, influenced to a very large extent by works of Plato, Aristotle, Frege, Russell, Gódel and Hardy, among others. My aim in the book is to develop some aspects of this viewpoint. Evidently, since I touch upon many different issues, it is not possible to pursue them all in detail, and I will have to do that in other writings. Nevertheless, I think that my answers to questions (1) and (2) are developed in sufficient detail to serve as a basis for discussion.

In “Mathematical Proof” Hardy classifies philosophies as sympathetic and unsympathetic, tenable and untenable. I hope that some readers will find the kind of view that I develop here as sympathetic as I do, and 1 hope to show that it is at least as tenable as other views currently in vogue.

Although there is an overall structure to the book, on which 1 will comment in the concluding remarks, most chapters are written in such a way that they can be read independently. In fact, as can be seen in the bibliography, versions of several of the chapters (from both parts) have appeared in print. After reading the Introduction and Chapter 1, which give a general sketch of position, the reader should feel free to read or browse through chapters whose subject-matter may be appealing to him or her, without worrying about earlier chapters. Each chapter has its own main argument, which may be seen more clearly if on a first reading the end notes are left out. The notes, some quite long, contain references, quotations, amplifications, digressions, etc. and are not necessary for following the main text. When a note is essential to the main text 1 indicate this by an explicit reference of the form “see note such and such”.

I wrote the first version of the book in 1987-88, partly during a sabbatical and partly in the context of a graduate seminar on philosophy of logic. I am grateful to PUC-Rio for the sabbatical and I am equally grateful to the students in that seminar, particularly to Arno Viero, for many incisive and stimulating discussions of the texts coming hot out of the computer. In 1989 1 circulated a version of the typescript (then titled “The Laws of Truth”) among some friends and colleagues. I am especially indebted to John Corcoran and Charles Marks for detailed comments on that typescript. In the intervening years I have presented versions of many of the chapters at talks, conferences, colloquia, etc., and have had important feedback from the audiences. I would like to thank Abel Casanave, André Porto, Carlos di Prisco, Góran Sundholm, Itala D'Ottaviano, Jairo José da Silva, Luiz Carlos Pereira, Luiz Henrique Lopes dos Santos, Michael Wrigley, Raul Landim, Rodrigo Bacellar, Scott Soames, Sergio Fernandes and Xavier Caicedo — and there are more. I would also like to thank CNPq for a research fellowship during the years 1985-1993.

Writing a book is a trying experience and I appreciate the support I received from my wife Siri and from my children Francisco, Barbara, Andrea and Victor. I dedicate the book to them and to the memory of my mother, Giovanna Vasta Bonino.”

Oswaldo Chateaubriand

VOLUME 34 — 2001

ISSN: 0103-3147

Primeira Edição, 2001

Índice para catálogo sistemático

Lógica 160

OBS. Two questions that preoccupied me in the seventies motivated me to write this book. (1) What is the relation between a statement and reality? (2) What is the fundamental character of logic? As I worked on the book, however, more and more of my life’s experience teaching and reserching questions of philosophy of logic, philosophy of mathematics and philosophy of language became relevant to the subjects that I was discussing. So, the outcome is not just an attempt to answer questions (1) and (2), but is also, and perhaps primarily, a formulation of a working philosophical viewpoint.