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Re: [ox-en] thinking about logics



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Hi Stefan,

interesting.

I was wondering, so, you believe dialectical reasoning is still valid,
despite the critiques that have been levelled against it (cornelis
castoriadis comes to mind). Have you been aware of those. There have also
been various proposals to go beyond it, I remember reading about trialectics
one.

Just a general statement about this would be useful to me,

Michel

On Feb 5, 2008 4:40 AM, Stefan Meretz <stefan.meretz hbv.org> wrote:

Hi list,

it seems to me, that formal logics for some people are the ultima ratio
when arguing. One basic assumption behind this conviction is the
principle tertium non datur, or the principle of the excluded third, cf.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tertium_non_datur

It says:

  x is either A or Not-A, a third does not exist

There are two main problems with this conviction.

First is the meaning of A. Say, A is a concept of something, then it is
necessary to agree in this concept before starting with formal logics.
It is useless to say "x is A", while another person understands "x is
B", thus these two persons can endlessly argue about whether "x is
either A or Not-B" or "x is either B or Not-A". This often happens in
this mailinglist and cannot be solved by repeating or using strong
words or heavy arguing penetration.

The only way to cope with that, is to talk about the meaning of what we
are talking about. The meaning itself can not be clarified using
true/false logics, but only by understanding what is said and meant.

The second problem can be even worse. This excluded-third-thinking is
formal logics or understanding. This is fine, but understanding is
non-dialectical thinking. It allows not for thinking "x is the
relationship of A and Not-A". This is dialectical thinking, or reason.
Examples: No one can reach a location by not leaving another location.
Nothing can arise without arizing from something which goes.

In dialectics contradictions come together. Moreover, contradictions
stop from being a sign of untruthfulness, but they become the _form_ of
the truth. Untruth is a relationship being free from contradictions,
where something positive and something negative are separated from each
other. Truth can only be found, where both are the same. The determined
[bestimmte] negation is the negation which has a positive result.
Tertium datur: neither the first, nor the second, but only the third
(also called sublation [aufhebung]).

In this sense formal logics of "either - or : decide!" are not useful
any longer. However, this does not mean, that formal logics are
false - this itself would contradict its own assumptions of dialectics.
However, the relationship between formal logics and dialectics is not
symmetrical. Dialectics can not be reached from formal logics,
for them dialectics appear to be an irrational thing. Formal logics,
however, can be grasped from dialectics, moreover, the criterion of
rationality is, whether the notion of the opposite of something can be
given.

Ciao,
Stefan

--
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