WLD/I&R 2022: On the Trace of Logic, Reason, and Math

Paco Miró Quesada asked once whether the multiplicity of non-classical logics endangered the very existence of ‘reason’, understood as the faculty whereby we can think logically. If there are several—and often mutually incompatible—conceptions of logic, then it means that there are several ways to be logical, and hence that there is more than one reason or rationality. But if this was the case, Miró Quesada says that reason may be arbitrary or relative, which would be very much against what he expects it to be. The problem then becomes whether there are some traits that are common to all proper conceptions of logic and reason or if instead we have to accept that logic and reason are a bit arbitrary or relative, like culture and language are to some extent; especially when studied in a comparative and historical fashion.

In the latter case, the study of the evolution and cultural variation of the concepts, terms, and conceptions of logic, reason, and mathematics may shed light into the very problem of the nature of reason. But even if we disregard these as sources of proper logical and mathematical knowledge, their study could still help us understand the nature of human reasoning.