The Status of Aristotelian logic in contemporary Western thought

The Status of Aristotelian logic in contemporary Western thought

Seyed Hassan Eslami Ardakani

Associate professor at University of Religions and Denominations

 

Abstract

Aristotelian logic, as a part of Islamic philosophy, from the very beginning has been attacked by some opponents amongst Muslims. So, some of Muslim philosophers have attempted to defend it against the criticisms raised by these opponents, and strengthen its validity. Beside the old criticisms, recently some Shi'a scholars under the name of Maktebe Tafkik, (The Separation School) have raised new criticisms against Aristotelian logic, claiming that this system of logic has been refuted and abandoned in the Academic circles of the West and has been replaced by the scientific method introduced by Francis Bacon. Therefore, based on some faulty arguments, they call for letting Aristotelian logic aside. This article tries to evaluate this claim and show its falsehood.

Keywords: Aristotelian logic, Maktebe Tafkik, Neo-Akhbari thought, Bacon, Islamic philosophy.

 Theological-Philosophical Research, 2011(Issue 3)