Q&A: Soft Logic
Soft Logic
Question
Have you heard of Oded Maimon’s idea of “soft logic”? What do you think of it?
In a nutshell (assuming I understood correctly), he creates an additional number axis alongside the regular axis, which he calls the 0-axis, and also defines positive and negative 0 (including an algebra that makes it possible to describe numbers on those axes).
He claims that a logic based on the mathematics above could allow logical thinking that can also contain contradictions, and serve as a “bridge” for understanding the connection between our inner world (consciousness, etc.) and the external world—essentially a kind of mathematization of consciousness.
Relevant links –
https://posthum.podbean.com/e/ep26/
https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S1793005721500356?download=true&journalCode=nmnc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLkeQHEMpws
Answer
I’m so familiar with nonsense of these kinds that even without reading or looking into it, it’s clear to me that there’s nothing there.
Discussion on Answer
Exactly.
If you soften the concept of logic, then yes, you get soft logic.
You can also deny logic altogether, and then there is no such thing at all.
It’s just a step backward in development. A baby has no logic, and in a child (and most human beings) logic is pretty soft, and you can say (and hear) one thing, half a thing, and its opposite without any disturbance.
I share your view that this is nonsense. I assume your reasoning, which you didn’t bother to spell out, is roughly this: even if one can create alternative logics (non-binary ones) on the technical-formal level, the philosophical presentation of that move itself still relies on traditional binary logic. And therefore, if we honestly chose to adopt those soft logics, we wouldn’t even be able to express in words or think about their very existence. A paradox.
Did I get that right?