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Single Idea 12193

[filed under theme 10. Modality / A. Necessity / 6. Logical Necessity ]

Full Idea

By the notion of 'logical necessity' I mean that there is a sense of 'necessary' for which 'It is necessary that A' implies and is implied by 'It is logically contradictory that not A'. ...From this, logical necessity is implicated in logical consequence.

Gist of Idea

Logical necessity is when 'necessarily A' implies 'not-A is contradictory'

Source

Ian Rumfitt (Logical Necessity [2010], Intro)

Book Ref

'Modality', ed/tr. Hale,B/Hoffman,A [OUP 2010], p.35


A Reaction

Rumfitt expresses a commitment to classical logic at this point. We will need to be quite sure what we mean by 'contradiction', which will need a clear notion of 'truth'....


The 11 ideas from 'Logical Necessity'

A distinctive type of necessity is found in logical consequence [Rumfitt, by Hale/Hoffmann,A]
Logical necessity is when 'necessarily A' implies 'not-A is contradictory' [Rumfitt]
Contradictions include 'This is red and not coloured', as well as the formal 'B and not-B' [Rumfitt]
Soundness in argument varies with context, and may be achieved very informally indeed [Rumfitt]
Geometrical axioms in logic are nowadays replaced by inference rules (which imply the logical truths) [Rumfitt]
There is a modal element in consequence, in assessing reasoning from suppositions [Rumfitt]
We reject deductions by bad consequence, so logical consequence can't be deduction [Rumfitt]
A logically necessary statement need not be a priori, as it could be unknowable [Rumfitt]
Narrow non-modal logical necessity may be metaphysical, but real logical necessity is not [Rumfitt]
If a world is a fully determinate way things could have been, can anyone consider such a thing? [Rumfitt]
The logic of metaphysical necessity is S5 [Rumfitt]