The Functionality of Logic According to Aristotle and Bertrand Russell

Acarer A.

7TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SCIENTIFIC AND ACADEMIC RESEARCH ICSAR 2025, Konya, Türkiye, 23 - 24 Aralık 2025, ss.622-628, (Tam Metin Bildiri)

  • Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Tam Metin Bildiri
  • Basıldığı Şehir: Konya
  • Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.622-628
  • Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study comparatively examines the syllogistic views of Aristotle, the method of his logic, and Bertrand Russell’s understanding of symbolic and analytical logic. The study’s fundamental problem revolves around the question of whether logic should be understood as an epistemological function or a formal structure in the historical process. While Aristotle’s logic serves an epistemic function as a system that explains the necessary structure of scientific demonstration and justification of knowledge, Russell’s understanding of logic aims to guarantee the precision and consistency of thought by transforming language into formal symbols. This study examines the role of Aristotle’s syllogistic system in knowledge production through the concepts of term, proposition, syllogism, and demonstration. Furthermore, the power of symbolic logic, developed by Russell within the framework of logicism, denoting phrases, quantifier logic, and type theory, to analyze language and resolve paradoxes is discussed. Russell’s fundamental criticisms of Aristotle -the limitations of logic, the ambiguity of singularity, the lack of ontological clarity, and the inadequacy of linguistic analysis- are evaluated. The fundamental problem this paper focuses on is whether the function of logic should be sought in the production of knowledge or in the formal analysis of language. While Aristotle offers an epistemological perspective on logic, Russell transforms logic into an analytical tool that prioritizes formal consistency and mathematical precision. In this context, the distinction between the historical function of logic and its modern reconstruction lies at the heart of this study.