Omschrijving
Logical pluralism is the view that different logics are equally appropriate, or equally correct. Logical relativism is a pluralism according to which validity and logical consequence are relative to something. Stewart Shapiro explores various such views. He argues that the question of meaning shift is itself context-sensitive and interest-relative.
Wide-ranging and thought-provoking.
Stewart Shapiro's book is convincing ... The case for logical pluralism has been made before, but with Shapiro's book we get an argument for pluralism that promises to resonate not only with logicians but with classical mathematicians.
It is a rich book, which, apart from contributions to logical pluralism, makes connections between the philosophy of logic, philosophy of language, philosophy of math, and epistemology. There is much to like in Shapiro's Varieties of Logic. It is an engaging contribution to the debates over logical pluralism that articulates an appealing pluralist position, and it highlights many fruitful connections between the philosophy of logic and other areas of philosophy. It will be required reading for anyone interested in logical pluralism or the philosophy of logic.
Varieties of Logic will become the standard text on logical pluralism, and will likely set the agenda for debates on the topic for years to come.
Stewart Shapiro received an MA in mathematics in 1975, and a PhD in philosophy in 1978, both from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is currently the O'Donnell Professor of Philosophy at the Ohio State University. He specializes in philosophy of mathematics, logic, philosophy of logic, and philosophy of language, with a recent interest in semantics, and is the author of Foundations without foundationalism: a case for second-order logic (OUP, 1991), Philosophy of mathematics: structure and ontology (OUP, 1997), Vagueness in context (OUP, 2006), and a textbook in the philosophy of mathematics, Thinking about mathematics: the philosophy of mathematics (OUP, 2000).