Single Idea 9001

[catalogued under 10. Modality / A. Necessity / 6. Logical Necessity]

Full Idea

When Kant's arithmetical examples of a priori synthetic judgements were sweepingly disqualified by Frege's reduction of arithmetic to logic, attention moved to the less tendentious and logically prior question 'How is logical certainty possible?'

Gist of Idea

Frege moved Kant's question about a priori synthetic to 'how is logical certainty possible?'

Source

Willard Quine (Carnap and Logical Truth [1954], I)

Book Reference

Quine,Willard: 'Ways of Paradox and other essays' [Harvard 1976], p.107


A Reaction

A nice summary of the story so far, from someone who should know. This still leaves the question open of whether any synthetic truths can be derived from the logical certainties which are available.