JOURNAL ARTICLE

How Did Avicenna Understand the Barcan Formulas?

Published In: Logic Journal of the IGPL, 2023, v. 31, n. 6. P. 1170 1 of 3
Database: Business Source Ultimate 2 of 3
Authored By: Hodges, Wilfrid 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on the claim that Avicenna (Ibn Sīnā), an 11th-century philosopher and logician, anticipated the Barcan formula and related modal logic principles well before their modern formulation. It examines Avicenna's modal logic writings, particularly his use of temporally quantified ("2D") sentence forms, to clarify how he understood entailments between modal statements. While Avicenna's semantics support the Barcan formula—that "for every x, necessarily φ" entails "necessarily for every x, φ"—they do not support its converse, nor the Buridan formula, contrary to some earlier interpretations. The article situates Avicenna's innovations within his broader project of revising Aristotelian modal syllogistic logic using temporal quantification and distinguishes his approach from later quantified modal logic (QML) frameworks.

Additional Information

Source:Logic Journal of the IGPL. 2023/12, Vol. 31, Issue 6, p1170
Document Type:Article
Subject Area:Biography
Publication Date:2023
ISSN:1367-0751
DOI:10.1093/jigpal/jzac066
Accession Number:173856135
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