On Logic, and How No longer to Assassinate It (1913)

Ensuing from I wished nicer digital versions of Wittgenstein’s no longer-precisely-nice book review, I in point of fact relish digitized it (https://landondcelkind.com/on-common sense-and-how-no longer-to-make-it/). Furthermore, the text is now publicly on hand in PDF and Markdown codecs on the Net Archive (https://archive.org/particulars/wittgenstein-1913-review-coffey) and in MP3 structure on LibriVox (https://librivox.org/quick-nonfiction-assortment-vol-080-by-a complete lot of/). It’s miles also reproduced under for handsome measure. Be at liberty to fragment, and experience!

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Ludwig Wittgenstein

• Evaluate: The Science of Logic: an inquiry into the principles of thought and scientific intention. By Peter Coffey, Ph.D. (Louvain), Professor of Logic and Metaphysics, Maynooth College. Longsman, Inexperienced, & Co 1912. (link to Coffey)

In no division of learning can an author push aside the outcomes of honest learn with so remarkable impunity as he can in Philosophy and Logic. To this circumstance we owe the newsletter of such a book as Mr Coffey’s Science of Logic: and fully as a customary example of the work of many logicians of to-day does this book deserve consideration. The author’s Logic is that of the scholastic philosophers, and he makes all their errors—for certain with the customary references to Aristotle. (Aristotle, whose identify is taken so remarkable in useless by our logicians, would turn in his grave if he knew that so many Logicians know no more about Logic to-day than he did 2,000 years ago). The author has no longer taken the slightest watch of the gigantic work of the contemporary mathematical logicians—work which has led to an approach in Logic similar fully to that which made Astronomy out of Astrology, and Chemistry out of Alchemy.

Mr Coffey, fancy many logicians, draws gigantic advantage from an unclear intention of expressing himself; for when you happen to can no longer uncover whether or no longer he technique to insist “Sure” or “No,” it is complicated to argue in opposition to him. Nonetheless, even via his foggy expression, many grave errors might also be recognised clearly adequate; and I suggest to give a list of a couple of of the most placing ones, and would present the pupil of Logic to mark these errors and their consequences in other books on Logic also. (The numbers in brackets tag the pages of Mr Coffey’s book—volume I.—where a mistake occurs for the well-known time; the illustrative examples are my relish).

1. [36] The author believes that one and all propositions are of the realm-predicate originate.
2. [31] He believes that actuality is changed by changing into an object of our tips.
3. [6] He confounds the copula “is” with the observe “is” expressing identification. (The observe “is” has obviously different meanings in the propositions—“Twice two is four”and “Socrates is mortal.”)
4. [46] He confounds issues with the teachings to which they belong. (A particular person is clearly one thing rather different from mankind.)
5. [48] He confounds lessons and complexes. (Mankind is a class whose parts are men; however a library is no longer any longer a class whose parts are books, on narrative of books turn into parts of a library fully by standing in certain spatial relatives to one one other—whereas lessons are fair of the relatives between their contributors.)
6. [47] He confounds complexes and sums. (Two plus two is four, however four is no longer any longer a posh of two and itself.)

This list of errors will doubtless be extended a handsome deal.

The worst of such books is that they prejudice gleaming of us in opposition to the peep of Logic.

March 6th, 1913



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first and predominant published in The Cambridge Evaluate 34 (1912–13), p. 351; reprinted in:

1. 1 January 1970, E. Homberger, William Janeway, and Simon Schama, The Cambridge Mind, London: Jonathan Cape: pp. 127-129
2. 1 January 1988, Brian McGuinness, Wittgenstein: A Lifestyles, Young Ludwig: 1889-1921, Berkeley & Los Angeles, College of California Press: pp. 169-170
3. 1 June 1993, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Events, 1912-1951, Indianapolis, Hackett Publishing Firm: pp. 1-3

• PDF and Markdown files on the Net Archive: https://archive.org/particulars/wittgenstein-1913-review-coffey
• Audio book model on LibriVox (Discover 3 in Non-fiction, Vol. 80; 3: 56): https://librivox.org/quick-nonfiction-assortment-vol-080-by-a complete lot of/