# Which academic discipline does logic belong to? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 8, 2022, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689 "2022-03-08T16:12:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/21 "2022-03-08T18:28:54Z")
My brother is a professor of philosophy, specialising in formal logic. I’ve looked at some of his papers, and they’re impossible for me to understand. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/22 "2022-03-08T18:36:49Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > I’ve always had problems reconciling Logic/Math, the way it was taught in school. (This from my perspective of upbringing in India) > > The reason is that Logic taught in school is primarily Western or Greek Logic or Western Philosophy. Its different from Eastern Philosophies / Logic. But there is no Eastern Math / Western Math. I’d be interested in hearing what, in your opinion, is the difference between “Western Logic” and “Eastern Logic.” I recently read this book (written by two philosophers): > **[If A, Then B: How the World Discovered Logic](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17070562-if-a-then-b)** > > While logical principles seem timeless, placeless, and … The authors spend a couple of pages discussing the difference between Greek/Aristotelean and Indian argumentation, and they claim that Indian syllogisms are focused on persuasion where Greek syllogisms are focused on logical validity. > [@](#): > > Still, there is a basic difference between the way an ancient Indian philosopher approaches this argument and the way any Greek logician after Aristotle approaches it. The difference is that the Indian philosopher treats it as a rhetorical form whereas the Greek seeks out what we would now call a logical form. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/23 "2022-03-08T18:54:49Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Is logic taught in Computer Science different than logic taught in philosophy? (really asking…I’m not sure we are talking about the same thing) Logic has different branches. I would imagine that symbolic logic/formal logic fits easily in computer sciences, while informal logic is more apt for languages. See the wikipedia article: > **[Logic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic#Formal_and_informal_logic)** > > Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It studies how conclusions follow from premises due to the structure of arguments alone, independent of their topic and content. Informal logic is associated with informal fallacies, critical thinking, and argumentation theory. It examines arguments expressed in natural language while formal logic uses formal language. When used as ... Logic as conceived in the Trivium was more closely related to language arts (grammar, logic and rhetoric), while symbolic logic looks much more like mathematics. > **[Trivium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivium)** > > The trivium is the lower division of the seven liberal arts and comprises grammar, logic, and rhetoric. > The trivium is implicit in De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii ("On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury") by Martianus Capella, but the term was not used until the Carolingian Renaissance, when it was coined in imitation of the earlier quadrivium. Grammar, logic, and rhetoric were essential to a classical education, as explained in Plato's dialogues. The three subjects together were denoted b... ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/24 "2022-03-08T19:52:17Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > On that note: symbolic logic was a philosophy class at my college, but met a (liberal arts curriculum) math requirement. Same here, for my History BA. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/25 "2022-03-08T20:15:27Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > [@Gyrate](#): > > > > On that note: symbolic logic was a philosophy class at my college, but met a (liberal arts curriculum) math requirement. > > Same here, for my History BA. But for me, symbolic logic was a math course for my BSci in Applied Mathematics. I’ll add that it was a fun course. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/26 "2022-03-08T20:43:35Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I’ll add that it was a fun course. First time I took Logic I dropped it. I was not clear on what the subject was (just ticking a box on a requirement) and it was terrible. A year or so later I needed that requirement and took the class again. Different professor and I loved it and did very well in it. Most importantly, he made it fun. A good professor is always important but more for some classes than others. I think this is one where a good professor makes a big difference. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/27 "2022-03-08T21:33:41Z")
Agree. My professor was a good one too. He made it interesting and he made it fun. One thing I remember, one day when we were discussing an important criminal court case at the time, is that he made the important distinction that the verdict is not that the person is determined to be Innocent, it is that the person is determined to be Not Guilty. A big difference there. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/28 "2022-03-08T22:40:57Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > it is formal logic, so you do not have to reconcile anything, merely memorize the axiom(s). Then prove they are consistent… Well, yeah; but the problem is, then they want you to apply them to the real world. It’s true that it’s generally possible to pass the course without doing so. But the course is being taught for a reason. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/29 "2022-03-08T22:54:36Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > What axiom did you object to? […] Excluded middle? > […] The only answer to the OP is: both. ISWYDT 😉 > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I took logic twice, once in a philosophy class and once in a mathematics class. Was there any difference for you? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/30 "2022-03-09T00:00:38Z")
Classical logic and, let’s say, temporal intuitionistic fuzzy logic are not going to be have the same axioms or even the same syntax and semantics. Is there a single “real world” logic? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/31 "2022-03-09T00:54:16Z")
If there is, I don’t know what it is. And I suspect it might vary by species, if there are other species having this sort of discussion somewhere. I think humans are trying, in varying ways, to wrap our heads around a universe that doesn’t fit inside our heads. That’s not a reason why we should stop trying, of course – probably the fact that we keep trying to do so is one of the definitions of being human. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/32 "2022-03-09T01:16:00Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I’d be interested in hearing what, in your opinion, is the difference between “Western Logic” and “Eastern Logic.” Thats a long discussion and better done over drinks on a weekend 😀. I’ll quote two examples, that perhaps illustrates the difference : 1. Catuṣkoṭi : This is foundational for the “Middle Path” in Buddhism [Catuṣkoṭi - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catu%E1%B9%A3ko%E1%B9%ADi) 2. Edward DeBono (of Lateral Thinking fame) : "_De Bono traces the rigidity in Western thinking and orthodox education back to the Middle Ages, when the church was the seat of learning. The church’s intellectual needs were to defend its established theology against heretics. “For four centuries,” de Bono says, washing down the last of his sweet roll, “the educational system, the schools, seminaries, and universities were controlled by the church and thinking was designed to preserve a particular theology, by destroying any attempt to alter it. It’s really nonsensical, but it has dominated our thinking ever since.”_ [Edward de Bono; TEACHING THE WORLD TO THINK - CSMonitor.com](https://www.csmonitor.com/1981/0709/070961.html) ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/33 "2022-03-09T01:19:38Z")
It used to be that there were three big areas a philosophy professor might fit into – logic, history of philosophy, and attempting the sort of philosophy historians of philosophy write about. Logic has gone into a relative decline within philosophy. I see from this thread that some other departments (math and computer science) may be filling the gap. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/34 "2022-03-09T01:29:24Z")
I would say logic belongs to philosophy. Philo=love, sophy=knowledge or wisdom? Whatever you’re studying, you want to strive to be sure that you really know what you think you know. It underpins everything, I think. Besides philosophy class, I think I learned it when constructing arguments in English (persuasive writing) and speech classes (debate etc.) as well. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/35 "2022-03-09T01:37:19Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Formal logic was a requirement for my philosophy degree, back in the 70’s. And mine, in the ‘90s. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/36 "2022-03-09T01:46:43Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Was there any difference for you? HUGE difference between philosophical logic and mathematical logic ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/37 "2022-03-09T01:59:01Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Is logic taught in Computer Science different than logic taught in philosophy? (really asking…I’m not sure we are talking about the same thing) Not CS, but my wife’s Philosophy prof occasionally noted differences between what she was being taught and how “the Evil Math Department” did things. Something about the empty set. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/38 "2022-03-09T02:46:56Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > It probably didn’t help that the book for the class used the example “Either it is raining or it is not raining”; and I was in Rochester, NY and first read that line on a day on which it was clearly doing something that was neither raining nor not raining. Your point is either well-taken or it is not well-taken. Or something in between. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/39 "2022-03-09T03:23:04Z")
I have to concede that, due to the way human minds work, memorizing an axiom will be much easier if that axiom makes intuitive sense. For example, the following arbitrarily-chosen axiom is one of the basic reduction rules in the lambda-mu calculus: (\mu \beta.u)v \; \triangleright\_c \; \mu \beta.u \bigl[[\beta](w v)/[\beta] w \bigr ] Easy to remember? Depends on whether you can “wrap your head around it”, including the notation ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689/40 "2022-03-09T03:26:04Z")
Discrete mathematics has Boolean algebra, known as mathematical logic. This is very useful in Computing Science when juggling all those bits and bytes and electronic logic gate circuits. > **[Boolean algebra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boolean_algebra)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > In mathematics and mathematical logic, Boolean algebra is a branch of algebra. It differs from elementary algebra in two ways. First, the values of the variables are the truth values true and false, usually denoted 1 and 0, whereas in elementary algebra the values of the variables are numbers. Second, Boolean algebra uses logical operators such as conjunction (and) denoted as ∧, disjunction (or) denoted as ∨, and the negation (not) denoted as ¬.... There is also logic programming, a feature of some computing languages. > **[Logic programming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic_programming)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Logic programming is a programming paradigm which is largely based on formal logic. Any program written in a logic programming language is a set of sentences in logical form, expressing facts and rules about some problem domain. Major logic programming language families include Prolog, answer set programming (ASP) and Datalog. In all of these languages, rules are written in the form of clauses: > and are read declaratively as logical implications:... How this relates to philosophical logic is not clear to me. Perhaps ‘logic’ is an overloaded word? Maybe there is one of those ‘family tree of mathematics’ diagrams out there that explain the connection? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academic-discipline-does-logic-belong-to/960689.md?page=3)