Is there anthropological evidence that logic is culturally relative?: Remarks on Bloor, Jennings, and Evans-Pritchard

British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 45 (2):749-760 (1994)
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Abstract

Logical relativism is the view that a logical proposition is known just in case it is collectively endorsed in some culture. This striking and controversial view is defended by David Bloor and Richard C. Jennings. They cite in its support distinctive reasoning practices among the Azande as described by E. E. Evans-Pitchard. Jennings has challenged my critique of Bloor's logical relativism, claiming that my analysis is based on misunderstandings of Bloor and Evans-Pritchard. I argue that Jennings' clarifications of Bloor do nothing to support the thesis of logical relativism, and that a direct examination of Evans-Pritchard's evidence suggests that the Azande reason just as we do.

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Timm Triplett
University of New Hampshire, Durham

References found in this work

Zande logic and western logic.Richard C. Jennings - 1989 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 40 (2):275-285.
Azande logic versus western logic?Timm Triplett - 1988 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 39 (3):361-366.
The sociology of knowledge.Werner Stark - 1958 - London,: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

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