View source for ClassicalLogic


Classical, or Platonic logic is based on the law of the excluded middle.  A proposition may be true or false, there is no third alternative.

This allows proof by induction, if a proposition is not true, than it must be false.

Godel's theorem, however, has shown that not all propositions are answerable.  No system of platonic logic can be both complete and consistent.

This countradicts the law of the excluded middle as it indroduces a third alternative, a proposition can be true, false or unaswerable.  And since we cannot have systems that are both complete and consistent, we have no hope of finding absolute truth using Platonic logic.

The defeat of absolute truth has led science away from rationalism toward experimentalism.  This generally is good.  But has allowed modern philosophy to fail to deal with the ramifications of the failure of Platonic reasoning and incorporate them into the [[ScientificMethod]].  This has resulted in the inability to distinguish objective results from pseudo science and turned science into a popularity contest.

Scientists must regain their role as crusaders for [[Truth]] by accepting the limitations of Platonic reasoning and restore objectivity to science by redefining truth relative to logical perspective.

# Any scientific statement must define the logical context or observational window.
# Any proof by induction must first prove decidability.
# The axioms of Platonic truth are arbitrary.  Alternative axioms regarding the nature of truth such as [[QuantumLogic]] must be considered equivalently.  We must discover, not dictate the nature of [[Truth]].