Single Idea 22436

[catalogued under 1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 6. Logical Analysis]

Full Idea

The logician does not even need to paraphrase the vernacular into his logical notation, for he has learned to think directly in his logical notation, or even (which is the beauty of the thing) to let it think for him.

Gist of Idea

Logicians don't paraphrase logic into language, because they think in the symbolic language

Source

Willard Quine (Mr Strawson on Logical Theory [1953], V)

Book Reference

Quine,Willard: 'Ways of Paradox and other essays' [Harvard 1976], p.150


A Reaction

See Williamson's love of logic (and his book on modal metaphysics). This idea embodies the dream of hardcore Frege-Russellian analytic philosophers. I wish someone had told me when I studied logic that the target was to actually think symbolically.

Related Ideas

Idea 22465 We see a moral distinction between doing and allowing to happen [Foot]

Idea 6858 Formal logic struck me as exactly the language I wanted to think in [Williamson]