Dear All
This Wed 8 April in The Refectory, from 3.30 to 5,30, our very own
Nick Smith will be speaking to us on the following topic:
Frege's Judgement Stroke and the Conception of Logic as the Study of
Inference not Consequence
Here's an abstract:
One of the most striking differences between Frege's Begriffsschrift
(logical system) and standard contemporary systems of logic is the
inclusion in the former of the judgement stroke: a symbol which marks
those propositions which are being ASSERTED, that is, which are being
used to express JUDGEMENTS. There has been considerable controversy
regarding both the exact purpose of the judgement stroke, and whether
a system of logic should include such a symbol. This paper explains
the intended role of the judgement stroke in a way that renders it
readily comprehensible why Frege insisted that this symbol was an
essential part of his logical system. The key point here is that Frege
viewed logic as the study of INFERENCE relations amongst ACTS OF
JUDGEMENT, rather than---as in the typical contemporary view---of
CONSEQUENCE relations amongst certain OBJECTS (propositions or well-
formed formulae). The paper also explains why Frege's use of the
judgement stroke is not in conflict with his avowed anti-psychologism,
and why Wittgenstein's criticism of the judgement stroke as 'logically
quite meaningless' is unfounded. The key point here is that while the
judgement stroke has no CONTENT, its use in logic and mathematics is
subject to a very stringent NORM of assertion.
As usual, there will be be a pre-talk or graduate students and other
interested parties, in which the background to the talk will be
covered. Graduate students are strongly encouraged to attend,
especially if they are working in different areas from the talk, as
this is the chance to get some breadth so that you'll be able to truly
claim some diversity in your graduate education, and get it from
leading international philosophers.
The Pre-Talk takes place at 2PM in the Philosophy Common Room.
cheers
d
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