Elementary Logic #262068

Books on Logic Often begin with what professes to be a definition Of the Science. And if by a definition all that is meant is a vague general statement of aim or purpose, that is easy to give; the aim Of Logic, always and every where, is to' study the difference between good and bad reasoning. Even the loftiest and least mundane kind Of Logic cannot really escape from this purpose; for what interest could there be in ideally perfect truths if no one was ever in the least danger of forgetting them? It was the liability of mankind to reason badly that first called Logic into existence, and that still makes the study worth while; and to confess its lack Of power to detect bad reasoning, or to boast of a lack Of interest in doing this, would be fatal to its claims. The general aim Of Logic, then, is clear. But real difficulties begin as soon as we try to get the scope and method of the Science into its definition, for thereby we run'a risk Of begging the very important ques tion whether a particular limitation of scope, or a particular method, is a help or a hindrance in achieving the aim. There is no general agreement on this point. Indeed that is a mild way of putting it, for we live' in times when there is a widespread and growing revolt against certain Old methods and Old limitations Of Logic which have come.