Full Idea
Explanations of classical negation assume that knowing what it is for the truth-condition of some statement to obtain, independently of recognising it to obtain, we thereby know what it is for it NOT to obtain; but this presupposes classical negation.
Gist of Idea
Classical negation is circular, if it relies on knowing negation-conditions from truth-conditions
Source
Michael Dummett (The Logical Basis of Metaphysics [1991], p.299), quoted by Ian Rumfitt - The Boundary Stones of Thought 1.1
Book Reference
Rumfitt,Ian: 'The Boundary Stones of Thought' [OUP 2015], p.4
A Reaction
[compressed wording] This is Dummett explaining why he prefers intuitionistic logic, with its doubts about double negation.
Related Idea
Idea 18799 Intuitionists can accept Double Negation Elimination for decidable propositions [Rumfitt]