he Evolutionary Journey of Logic

Let's get wild, and dive into an exploration of logic as a distinctly human affair. Yesterday, I mentioned that humans created logic, which is a bit of an oversimplification. Let's start there. In a certain sense, thinkers like Aristotle in Ancient Greece devised a system of logic tailored to the unique needs of maintaining coherence during the development of deliberative democracy in Athens. My book, "Logic in the Wild," examines some of this history, focusing on how the Sophists evolved from traveling teachers of virtue to intellectual mercenaries. They trained individuals to craft arguments that would triumph in the assembly. This is a rough overview but serves our purpose for now.

In this cultural milieu, the urgency to develop systematic methods of teaching logical reasoning surged, and scholars like Aristotle took on this challenge. Fast forward to the Medieval era: scholars grappled with reconciling ancient pagan philosophies with emerging Christian dogmas, endeavoring to forge logical theories that integrated both traditions in a coherent fashion.

This historical perspective is one way to view the human creation of logic. Another aspect aligns more with evolutionary psychology—a methodology that, despite its controversies, is insightful for our current line of inquiry. We ponder whether logic offers evolutionary benefits. This working hypothesis requires us to zoom out considerably, looking back to a time long before societies resembling ours existed, even before the advent of developed language.

Let's turn our attention to our evolutionary ancestors and relatives. Could a form of logical reasoning have offered them evolutionary advantages? My hypothesis is that the mental shortcuts provided by logical reasoning could bypass detailed analysis of specific situations, enabling quicker decision-making. This isn't about escaping predators, but rather navigating the social dynamics within small communities. Recognizing and exhibiting coherence aids in community functioning, guiding groups toward more efficient decision-making and conflict resolution.

In contemporary society, there's a compelling need to re-embrace logic, possibly drawing inspiration from its more primitive, evolutionary forms. Logic manifested in the growth of communities, the expansion of cognitive abilities, and the advent of symbolic communication, eventually leading to language. To say that logic is a human affair is to acknowledge its role in the evolutionary psychology that transformed small clans into communities and, ultimately, societies.