Practal — Practical Logic: A Bicycle for Your Mathematical Mind

This is a first sketch of the design of Practal, an interactive theorem proving system for practical logic.

Confession and Hope: Ekklesia’s Task in the Global Emergency

Humanity is currently faced with deadly dangers that could bring about the breakdown of civilization, and even the end of human life on earth in short order. The Marxist and Green thinker Rudolf Bahro spoke of a ‘logic of salvation’, which involved a return to the idea of God. Ekklesia arose as a witness to such a logic of salvation. It can be understood as a social movement, that sketches out a prefigurative politics that can then be realised. The contemporary church needs to recover this understanding, adopting climate change as a confessional issue that defines its common life. This could be part of a practical logic of salvation.

Możliwościowe ujęcie logiki praktycznej. Logika bez kantów Andrzeja Kisielewicza

A possibilities-based account of practical logic.Andrzej Kisielewicz’s logic without edgesIn this paper I comment on the theses presented in Andrzej Kisielewicz’s book entitled Logic and Argumentation. A Practical Course in Critical Thinking. The author argues that the current way of teaching practical logic is not good, because it is too much based on formal logic. It should be replaced by a comprehensive analysis of reasonable possibilities. I demonstrate that Kisielewicz’s vision of changing the way in which practical logic is taught is a good one. I claim that Kisielewicz proposed a kind of ontologization of logic. I argue that teaching logic and critical thinking need to be complemented by creative thinking techniques. I do not agree with the criticism of traditional logic and formal logic made by Kisielewicz and point out that common sense — so highly valued by Kisielewicz — is deceptive and does not encourage critical thinking.

Who is the ‘communis’ in sensus communis? A response to Ferrara

Of the many interesting points that Alessandro Ferrara raises in reply to my article, I focus in response on the question of context transcendence for, as well as seeming to lie at the heart of our differences, it is of foundational importance to the tradition of critical theory which influences both our work. I agree with Ferrara about the ‘conceptual necessity’ of context transcendence for critique but I disagree with the assumption that he makes that experientially grounded critique is necessarily inimical to context transcendence. I argue that this need not be the case if we conceive of the transcending capacity of thought in ways that are more compatible with the practical logic of social life, for example, in the historicized terms of a sociolinguistic expressivism. Ferrara’s elision of experientially grounded critique with radical contextualism tout court sets up something of a false dilemma between immanence and transcendence which ultimately serves to justify his reliance on the dubious ahistorical construct of sensus communis. By directing attention away from patterns of agency and struggle and towards a hypothetical normative commonality, sensus communis neutralizes democratic conflict and the political significance of the exemplar. It is not a question of choosing between immanence and transcendence, rather the task that confronts the theorist is to inhabit the space between experiential disclosure and generalizing critique in as productive and dialogical manner as possible. It is within these terms that I suggest a politicized reading of exemplarity.

Bleibt Alles Anders

Unlike earlier conceptions of society as homogeneous, modern models emphasize its factious nature. Correspondingly, it cannot be reduced to a structure; instead, it contains multiple, coexisting, and even overlapping structures. Chapter 4 visualizes these complex structures as a Garden of Forking Paths in which worlds—some real, others imaginary—coexist. To plan their actions, individuals trace a coherent path between worlds. Their actions adhere to cultural, although not necessarily practical, logic. They deal with worlds differently and apply different modalities. The latter distinguishes innovators from others. The material nature of inventions exhibits interaction and adoption publicly. Therefore, individual decision-making interweaves, Gardens of Forking Paths overlap, and the resulting interferences map the structural changes in society.