The Logic of Aristotle: Basic Principles

The word "logic" comes from the Greek logos, which means "word", "speech," "concept," "thought," and "judgment." This concept is often used in different meanings, such as the process of reasonableness, analyticity, etc. Aristotle systematized knowledge about this and singled them out into a separate science. She studies the forms of right thinking and his laws. The logic of Aristotle is the basic tool of the human mind, which gives a true picture of reality, and its laws belong to the main rules of rational utterances and have not lost their significance to this day.

Aristotle's logic includes judgments, concepts, and inferences to the basic forms of thinking . The concept is a simple initial connection of thoughts reflecting the basic properties and attributes of objects. Judgment implies the denial or confirmation of the relationship between the criteria and the object itself. By inference is understood the most complex mental form, which is formed on the basis of conclusions and analysis.

The logic of Aristotle is designed to teach how to properly use concepts and analytics, and for this, both these forms should be fair. This factor is provided to the concept by definition, and to judgment by proof. Thus, the definition and proof of the ancient Greek philosopher regarded as the main issues of his science.

In the treatises of the scientist theoretical foundations, the subject of discipline laid down by Aristotle himself, were laid. The logic for him was an expression of his own philosophical position. He also formulated and logical laws: identity, non-contradiction and the excluded third. The first says that any thought during the reasoning must remain identical to itself to the end, that is, the content of the idea should not change in the process. The second law of non-contradiction is that several opposing opinions should not be true simultaneously, one of them must necessarily be false. The rule of the excluded third contains the notion that dual judgments can not be simultaneously incorrect, one of them is always true. In addition, Aristotle's logic consisted of methods of transferring the acquired knowledge. Its principle is that the private follows from the general, and this is embedded in the nature of things. However, at the same time, human consciousness also has the opposite idea that it is possible to achieve holistic knowledge only through the knowledge of its parts.

It is important to note that Aristotle's teaching had a materialistic and dialectical view of the connection between language and thought. Unlike Plato, who spoke of meditation without sensory impressions and words, Aristotle believed that it is impossible to think without sensations. His feelings had the same role as the mind, for touch with reality requires touch, he, like a blank sheet, does not have innate concepts, but fixes them through perception. In the philosopher's opinion, this is the way cognition begins, and by the method of timely abstraction and determination of common attributes, reason comes to the conclusion of concepts.