Words Of Power: A Feminist Reading Of The History Of Logic (routledge Library Editions: Logic)

Reissuing works originally published between 1931 and 1990, this set of twenty-four books covers the full range of the philosophy of logic, from introductions to logic, to calculus and mathematical logic, to logic in language and linguistics and logical reasoning in law and ethics. An international array of authors are represented in this comprehensive collection. Originally published in 1990. A common complaint of philosophers, and men in general, has been that women are illogical. On the other hand, rationality, defined as the ability to follow logical argument, is often claimed to be a defining characteristic of man. Andrea Nye undermines assumptions such as: logic is unitary, logic is independent of concrete human relations, logic transcends historical circumstances as well as gender. In a series of studies of the logics of historical figures Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, Zeno, Abelard, Ockham, and Frege she traces the changing interrelationships between logical innovation and oppressive speech strategies, showing that logic is not transcendent truth but abstract forms of language spoken by men, whether Greek ruling citizens, imperial administrators, church officials, or scientists. She relates logical techniques, such as logical division, syllogisms, and truth functions, to ways in which those with power speak to and about those subject to them. She shows, in the specific historical settings of Ancient and Hellenistic Greece, medieval Europe, and Germany between the World Wars, how logicians reworked language so that dialogue and reciprocity are impossible and one speaker is forced to accept the words of another. In the personal, as well as confrontative style of her readings, Nye points the way to another power in the words of women that might break into and challenge rational discourses that have structured Western thought and practice. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Original Title Page 6 Original Copyright Page 7 Dedication 8 Contents 10 Prologue 12 Acknowledgments 16 Introduction: Reading Logic 18 Part I: Classical Logic 24 1. The Desire of Logic: Parmenides's Passion 26 2. Weaving the Seine of Logos: Plato and the Sophist 40 3. Aristotle's Syllogisms 58 4. Logos Spermatikos: The Logic of Empire 82 Part II: Medieval Logic 100 5. An Arsenal of Reasons: Abelard's Dialectic 102 6. The Antinomies of Power: Ockham's Razor 120 Part III: Reading Frege 142 7. Breaking the Power of the Word 146 8. The Marriage of Mathematics and Language 156 9. Frege's Thoughts 171 10. A Thought like a Hammer: The Logic of Totalitarianism 180 Conclusion: Words of Power and the Power of Words 190 Index 204 Originally published in 1990. This confrontational, controversial book challenges the complaint that women are illogical. In a series of studies of historical figures Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, Zeno, Abelard, Ockham, and Frege the author traces the changing interrelationships between logical innovation and oppressive speech strategies.