If fourteen-year old students received a solid introduction to Aristotle’s logic, it would change their lives; it could help them stay away from trouble, prevent bad decisions and acquire self-confidence. Aristotle (384-322 BC) did not teach ready-made solutions, but methods for solving problems. The purpose of logic is to see beyond the obvious, assess the…

The philosophical innovations brought forth by Aristotle (384-322 BC) are momentous, truly revolutionary, especially in the field of logic. His identification of a precise method (which he called syllogism) to reach accurate conclusions allowed, for the first time in history, to conduct rational debates. Modern civilization is built on the pillars of Aristotle’s logic and…

The cultural impact of Aristotle’s philosophy of logic begins with Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), who undertook to couple Christian theology to Aristotelian philosophy. The combination is far from self-evident and Aquinas did it only by twisting the ideas of Aristotle almost beyond recognition. In his “Summa Theologiae,” Aquinas provides a systematic presentation on how to merge…

It is not an exaggeration to say that Aristotle (384-322 BC) made modern civilisation possible. He invented formal logic at a time where most of humanity could neither read nor write. If it wasn’t for Aristotle’s contribution to philosophy, we wouldn’t enjoy such a high standard of living nowadays. In his book “Prior Analytics,” Aristotle…

When Aristotle was born in 384 BC, logic was in its infancy and indistinguishable from rhetoric; the ancient Greeks viewed rhetoric as useful because it could help them secure a business deal or win a case in court. The purpose of rhetoric was to win; logic (even twisted logic) was just part of its arsenal.…