Inceptiones et Receptiones: Ethnological, Philological, and Historical Approaches to Logic and Mathematics

The proclamation of the World Logic Day (January 14) by UNESCO, in association with the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences, aims to draw attention to the intellectual history, conceptual meaning and practical implications of logic among interdisciplinary scientific communities and the general public. To this end, the Peruvian Society for Epistemology and Logic is organising Inceptiones et Receptiones: Ethnological, philological, and historical approaches to Logic and Mathematics, our second World Logic Day event, to be celebrated between January 10 and 15, 2022.

In his lecture 'Heterodox logics and the problem of the unity of logic', Paco Miró Quesada asked whether the multiplicity of non-classical logics endangered the very existence of ‘reason’, understood as the faculty whereby we can think logically. If there are several—and often mutually incompatible—conceptions of logic, then it means that there are several ways to be logical, and hence that there is more than one reason or rationality. But if this was the case, Miró Quesada says that reason may be arbitrary or relative, which would be very much against what he expects it to be. The problem then becomes whether there are some traits that are common to all proper conceptions of logic and reason or if instead we have to accept that logic and reason are a bit arbitrary or relative, like culture and language are to some extent; especially when studied in a comparative and historical fashion.

In the latter case, the study of the evolution and cultural variation of the concepts, terms, and conceptions of logic, reason, and mathematics may shed light into the very problem of the nature of reason. But even if we disregard these as sources of proper logical and mathematical knowledge, their study could still help us understand the nature of human reasoning.

This event will present ethnological, historical, philological, and similar approaches to the concepts and conceptions related to Logic and Mathematics. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Ethnographic and ethnological studies on logical and mathematical concepts.
• Philological studies on the evolution of logical and mathematical terms.
• Historical studies on the scientific revolutions in Logic and Math.
• Reflections on whether there is incommensurability between different logical and mathematical conceptions.
• Discussions on the potential contributions of other cultures or intellectual traditions to modern Logic and Math.
• Formal reconstructions of the Logic and Math of another culture or historical period.
• Pedagogical approaches to teaching Logic and Math to peoples from different cultural backgrounds.

Website of the event: