Conference: Dialectic and Aristotle's Logic

Three day conference, 2 - 4 September 2013

Aristotle’s logic is often treated as though it falls into two quite distinct parts: the deductive syllogistic system, discussed in the Prior and Posterior Analytics, and the dialectical system, discussed in the Topics and Sophistical Refutations. Each of these parts has received sustained, independent attention: logicians have done much to articulate the structure of Aristotle’s syllogistic, while commentators have seen Aristotle’s dialectic as key to his whole philosophical enterprise.

This conference aims to examine the (putative) dialectical grounding for Aristotle’s logical theories in general (in particular, but not exclusively, syllogistic), and thus to emphasize the coherence and continuity of his logical writings by taking multi-agent dialogical interaction such as dialectic as the founding concept.

This conference is part of the 'Roots of Deduction' project, led by Catarina Dutilh Novaes. View the project website for the conference programme and more information. Registration is required.