TY - JOUR
T1 - The logic of impossible quantities
AU - Sherry, David
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1991/3
Y1 - 1991/3
N2 - In a ground-breaking essay Nagel contended that the controversy over impossible numbers influenced the development of modern logic. I maintain that Nagel was correct in outline only. He overlooked the fact that the controversy engendered a new account of reasoning, one in which the concept of a well-made language played a decisive role. Focusing on the new account of reasoning changes the story considerably and reveals important but unnoticed similarities between the development of algebraic logic and quantificational logic.
AB - In a ground-breaking essay Nagel contended that the controversy over impossible numbers influenced the development of modern logic. I maintain that Nagel was correct in outline only. He overlooked the fact that the controversy engendered a new account of reasoning, one in which the concept of a well-made language played a decisive role. Focusing on the new account of reasoning changes the story considerably and reveals important but unnoticed similarities between the development of algebraic logic and quantificational logic.
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U2 - 10.1016/0039-3681(91)90014-J
DO - 10.1016/0039-3681(91)90014-J
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0142229256
VL - 22
SP - 37
EP - 62
JO - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A
JF - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A
SN - 0039-3681
IS - 1
ER -