Logic isn't normative

Journal article


Russell, Gillian. (2020). Logic isn't normative. Inquiry. 63(3-4), pp. 371 - 388. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020174X.2017.1372305
AuthorsRussell, Gillian
Abstract

Some writers object to logical pluralism on the grounds that logic is normative. The rough idea is that the relation of logical consequence has consequences for what we ought to think and how we ought to reason, so that pluralism about the consequence relation would result in an incoherent or unattractive pluralism about those things. In this paper I argue that logic isn’t normative. I distinguish three different ways in which a theory – such as a logical theory – can be entangled with the normative and argue that logic is only entangled in the weakest of these ways, one which requires it to have no normativity of its own. I use this view to show what is wrong with three different arguments for the conclusion that logic is normative.

Keywordsnormativity; philosophy of logic; logical pluralism; inference vs. implication; logical consequence
Year2020
JournalInquiry
Journal citation63 (3-4), pp. 371 - 388
PublisherRoutledge
ISSN0020-174X
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/0020174X.2017.1372305
Page range371 - 388
Research GroupDianoia Institute of Philosophy
Publisher's version
File Access Level
Controlled
Place of publicationUnited Kingdom
Permalink -

https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/85v95/logic-isn-t-normative

Restricted files

Publisher's version

  • 159
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 1
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month
These values are for the period from 19th October 2020, when this repository was created.

Export as

Related outputs

From Anti-Exceptionalism to Feminist Logic
Russell, Gillian Kay. (2024). From Anti-Exceptionalism to Feminist Logic. Hypatia: a journal of feminist philosophy. 39(1), pp. 79-96. https://doi.org/10.1017/hyp.2023.125
How the laws of logic lie
Russell, Gillian K.. (2023). How the laws of logic lie. Episteme. 20(4), pp. 833-851. https://doi.org/10.1017/epi.2024.4
How to prove Hume’s Law
Russell, Gillian. (2022). How to prove Hume’s Law. Journal of Philosophical Logic. 51, pp. 603-632. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10992-021-09643-3
Fancy loose talk about knowledge
Russell, Gillian Kay. (2022). Fancy loose talk about knowledge. Inquiry. 65(7), pp. 789-820. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020174X.2021.1990791
Logic : A feminist approach
Russell, Gillian. (2020). Logic : A feminist approach. In In Garchar, Kimberly K. and Shew, Melissa M. (Ed.). Philosophy for girls : An invitation to a life of thought pp. 79-98 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190072919.003.0007
Logical pluralism
Russell, Gillian. (2019). Logical pluralism. In In Zalta, Edward N. (Ed.). Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy pp. 1-16 Stanford University Press.
Varieties of logical consequence by their resistance to logical nihilism
Russell, Gillian. (2019). Varieties of logical consequence by their resistance to logical nihilism. In In Wyatt, Jeremy, Pedersen, Nikolaj J. L. L. and Kellen, Nathan (Ed.). Pluralisms in truth and logic pp. 331-361 Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98346-2_14
Subordinating speech and speaking up
Russell, Gillian. (2019). Subordinating speech and speaking up. In In E. Lepore and D. Sosa (Ed.). Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Language; Volume 1 pp. 178 - 207 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198836568.001.0001
Deviance and vice: Strength as a theoretical virtue in the epistemology of logic
Russell, Gillian. (2019). Deviance and vice: Strength as a theoretical virtue in the epistemology of logic. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. 99(3), pp. 548 - 563. https://doi.org/10.1111/phpr.12498
Breaking the spell: Waismann's papers on the analytic/synthetic distinction
Russell, Gillian. (2019). Breaking the spell: Waismann's papers on the analytic/synthetic distinction. In In D. Makovec and S. Shapiro (Ed.). Friedrich Waismann: The Open Texture of Analytic Philosophy pp. 159 - 187 Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25008-9_8
Logical pluralism without the normativity
Blake-Turner, Christopher and Russell, Gillian. (2018). Logical pluralism without the normativity. Synthese. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-018-01939-3
Logical nihilism: Could there be no logic
Russell, Gillian K.. (2018). Logical nihilism: Could there be no logic. Philosophical issues. 28(1), pp. 308 - 324. https://doi.org/10.1111/phis.12127
Indexicals and Sider’s Neo-linguistic Account of Necessity
Russell, Gillian. (2017). Indexicals and Sider’s Neo-linguistic Account of Necessity. Res Philosophica. 94(3), pp. 385 - 397. https://doi.org/10.11612/resphil.1576
The justification of the basic laws of logic
Russell, Gillian. (2015). The justification of the basic laws of logic. Journal of Philosophical Logic. 44(6), pp. 793 - 803. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10992-015-9360-z
Practicing Evil : training and psychological barriers in the martial arts
Russell, Gillian Kay. (2014). Practicing Evil : training and psychological barriers in the martial arts. In Philosophy and the Martial Arts pp. 28-49 Routledge.
Quine on the Analytic / Synthetic Distinction
Russell, Gillian Kay. (2014). Quine on the Analytic / Synthetic Distinction. In A Companion to W. V. O. Quine pp. 181-202 Blackwell Publishers Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118607992.ch9
Metaphysical analyticity and the epistemology of logic
Russell, Gillian K.. (2014). Metaphysical analyticity and the epistemology of logic. Philosophical Studies. 171(1), pp. 161 - 175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-013-0255-y
Hybrid identities and just being yourself
Russell, Gillian. (2014). Hybrid identities and just being yourself. Inquiry. 57(4), pp. 455 - 465. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020174X.2014.905267
Necessity and meaning
Russell, Gillian. (2012). Necessity and meaning. In In Russell, Gillian and Graff Fara, Delia (Ed.). Routledge companion to philosophy of language pp. 782-794 Routledge.
Lessons from the Logic of Demonstratives : What indexicality teaches us about logic, and vice versa
Russell, Gillian. (2012). Lessons from the Logic of Demonstratives : What indexicality teaches us about logic, and vice versa. In In Restall, Greg and Russell, Gillian (Ed.). New waves in philosophical logic pp. 190-216 Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137003720_11
Development of a standardised Occupational Therapy - Driver Off-Road Assessment Battery to assess older and/or functionally impaired drivers
Unsworth, Carolyn, Baker, Anne, Taitz, Carla, Chan, Siew-Pang, Pallant, Julie, Russell, Kay and Odell, Morris. (2012). Development of a standardised Occupational Therapy - Driver Off-Road Assessment Battery to assess older and/or functionally impaired drivers. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 59(1), pp. 23 - 36. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2011.00979.x
Indexicals, context-sensitivity and the failure of implication
Russell, Gillian. (2011). Indexicals, context-sensitivity and the failure of implication. Synthese. 183(2), pp. 143-160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-010-9756-9
A new problem for the linguistic doctrine of necessary truth
Russell, Gillian. (2010). A new problem for the linguistic doctrine of necessary truth. In In Wright, Cory D. and Pedersen, Nikolaj J. L. L. (Ed.). New waves in truth pp. 267-281 Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230296992_18
Epistemic viciousness in the martial arts
Russell, Gillian. (2010). Epistemic viciousness in the martial arts. In In Priest, Graham and Young, Damon (Ed.). Martial arts and philosophy : Beating and nothingness pp. 129-144 Open Court Publishing Company.
Analyticity in externalist languages
Russell, Gillian. (2010). Analyticity in externalist languages. In In Sawyer, Sarah (Ed.). New waves in philosophy of language pp. 186-205 Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230248588_10
One true logic?
Russell, Gillian. (2008). One true logic? Journal of Philosophical Logic. 37, pp. 593-611. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10992-008-9082-6
Knowledge by indifference
Russell, Gillian K. and Doris, John M.. (2008). Knowledge by indifference. Australasian Journal of Philosophy. 86(3), pp. 429-437. https://doi.org/10.1080/00048400802001996
The analytic/synthetic distinction
Russell, Gillian. (2007). The analytic/synthetic distinction. Philosophy Compass. 2(5), pp. 712-729. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-9991.2007.00093.x