This article is about Aristotle's logical works. For other meanings of the term 'Organon', see Organon (disambiguation). For a discussion of Aristotelian logic as a system, see term logic.

The Organon is the name given by Aristotle's followers, the Peripatetics, for the standard collection of six of his works on logic. The system of logic described in two of these works, namely On Interpretation and the Prior Analytics, often called Aristotelian logic, is discussed in the article on term logic. Organon is the name given by Aristotle’s followers to his works on logic. ... Traditional logic, also known as term logic, is a loose term for the logical tradition that originated with Aristotle and survived broadly unchanged until the advent of modern predicate logic in the late nineteenth century. ... Media:Example. ... Peripatetic means wandering. The Peripatetics were a school of philosophy in ancient Greece. ... Logic, from Classical Greek λόγος (logos), originally meaning the word, or what is spoken, (but coming to mean thought or reason) is most often said to be the study of criteria for the evaluation of arguments, although the exact definition of logic is a matter of controversy among philosophers. ... De Interpretatione or Hermeneutics (Peri Hermeneias) is a work of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, mainly on the philosophy of language. ... Prior Analytics is Aristotles work on deductive reasoning, part of his Organon, the organ of logical and scientific methods. ... Traditional logic, also known as term logic, is a loose term for the logical tradition that originated with Aristotle and survived broadly unchanged until the advent of modern predicate logic in the late nineteenth century. ...

Constitution of the texts

The order of the works is not chronological (which is now hard to determine), but was deliberately chosen by the Peripatetics to constitute a well-structured system; indeed some parts of them seem to be a scheme of a lecture on logic. The arranging of the works was conducted by Andronicus of Rhodes around 40 BC.¹ Andronicus of Rhodes (c. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC - 40s BC - 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC 10s BC Years: 45 BC 44 BC 43 BC 42 BC 41 BC 40 BC 39 BC 38 BC 37...

Aristotle's Metaphysics has many points of intellectual overlap with the works making up the Organon, but is not traditionally considered part of it; additionally there are works on logic attributed, with varying degrees of plausibility, to Aristotle that were not known to the Peripatetics. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Categories

Main article: Categories (Aristotle)

The Categories (Latin: Categoriae) introduces Aristotle's 10-fold classification of that which exists. These categories consist of substance, quantity, quality, relation, place, time, situation, condition, action, and passion. Categories (or Categoriae) is a text from Aristotles Organon that enumerates all the possible kinds of thing which can be the subject or the predicate of a proposition. ...

On Interpretation

Main article: On Interpretation

On Interpretation (Latin: De Interpretatione) introduces Aristotle's conceptions of proposition and judgement, and treats contrarieties between them. It contains Aristotle's principal contribution to philosophy of language. It also discusses the Problem of the futures contingents. De Interpretatione or Hermeneutics (Peri Hermeneias) is a work of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, mainly on the philosophy of language. ... Proposition is a term used in logic to describe the content of assertions. ... Judgment or judgement implies a balanced weighing up of evidence preparatory to making a decision. ... The problem of the futures contingents designs a logical paradox first posed by Diodorus Cronus from the Megarian school of philosophy, under the name of the dominator, and then reactualized by Aristotle in chapter 9 of De Interpretatione. ...

Prior Analytics

Main article: Prior Analytics

The Prior Analytics (Latin: Analytica Priora) introduces his syllogistic method, which is discussed in the article on term logic, argues for its correctness, and discusses inductive inference. Prior Analytics is Aristotles work on deductive reasoning, part of his Organon, the organ of logical and scientific methods. ... A syllogism (Greek: συλλογισμός — conclusion, inference), more correctly a categorical syllogism, is a kind of logical argument in which one proposition (the conclusion) is inferred from two others (the premises). ... Traditional logic, also known as term logic, is a loose term for the logical tradition that originated with Aristotle and survived broadly unchanged until the advent of modern predicate logic in the late nineteenth century. ...

Posterior Analytics

Main article: Posterior Analytics

The Posterior Analytics (Latin: Analytica Posteriora) discusses correct reasoning in general. Posterior Analytics (or Analytica Posteriora) is a text by Aristotle. ...

Topics

Main article: Topics (Aristotle)

The Topics (Latin: Topica) treats issues in constructing valid arguments, and inference that is probable, rather than certain. It is in this treatise that Aristotle mentions the idea of the Predicables, which was later developed by Porphyry and the scholastic logicians. Topics (or Topica) is a text by Aristotle. ... Predicables (Lat. ... Porphyry (c. ...

On Sophistical Refutations

Main article: On Sophistical Refutations

On Sophistical Refutations (Latin:De Sophisticis Elenchis) gives a treatment of logical fallacies, and provides a key link to Aristotle's work on rhetoric. On Sophistical Refutations (or De Sophisticis Elenchis) is a text by Aristotle. ...

The influence of the Organon

Aristotle's works on logic (collectively called the Organon) are the only significant works of Aristotle that were never "lost"; all his other books were "lost" from his death, until rediscovered in the 11th century. As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ...

The Organon was used in the school founded by Aristotle at the Lyceum, and some parts of the works seem to be a scheme of a lecture on logic. So much so that after Aristotle's death, his publishers (e.g. Andronicus of Rhodes in 50 BC) collected these works. A lyceum can be an educational institution (often a school of secondary education in Europe), or a public hall used for cultural events like concerts. ... Andronicus of Rhodes (c. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC - 50s BC - 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC Years: 55 BC 54 BC 53 BC 52 BC 51 BC 50 BC 49 BC 48 BC 47...

In these works we can find the first ontological category theory (relevant in some branches of intensional logic), the first development of formal logic, the first known serious scientific inquisitions on the theory of (formal and informal) reasoning, the foundations of modal logic, and some antecedents of methodology of sciences. In philosophy, ontology (from the Greek , genitive : of being (part. ... Modal logic, or (less commonly) intensional logic is the branch of logic that deals with sentences that are qualified by modalities such as can, could, might, may, must, possibly, and necessarily, and others. ... Logic (from ancient Greek λόγος (logos), meaning reason) is the study of arguments. ...

The Organon was not always popular during the Hellenistic era. Stoic logic was predominant, particularly the work of Chrysippus (none of whose work has survived). Stoicism is a school of philosophy commonly associated with such Greek philosophers as Zeno of Citium, Cleanthes, or Chrysippus and with such later Romans as Cicero, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus. ... Chrysippus of Soli (279-207 BC) was Cleanthess pupil and eventual successor to the head of the stoic philosophy (232-204 BC). ...

In the 8th century the Scholastics, in non-Arab Europe, studied and promoted the study of logic based on the Organon. One of the greatest Scholastics was Dominican monk Albertus Magnus (1206–1280), the teacher of Thomas Aquinas (1226–1274). (7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ... Scholastic redirects here. ... Albertus Magnus (fresco, 1352, Treviso, Italy) Albertus Magnus (1193? – November 15, 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, was a Dominican friar who became famous for his universal knowledge and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. ... Events Temujin is proclaimed Genghis Khan of the Mongol people, founding the Mongol Empire Qutb ud-Din proclaims the Mameluk dynasty in India, the first dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. ... For broader historical context, see 1280s and 13th century. ... Saint Thomas Aquinas [Thomas of Aquin, or Aquino] (c. ... Events Carmelite Order approved by Pope Honorius III Frederick II calls Imperial Diet of Cremona Births June 21 - King Boleslaus V of Poland (died 1279) Abul-Faraj, Syriac scholar (died 1286) Bar-Hebraeus, Syriac historian and bishop (died 1286) Deaths March 7 - William de Longespee, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English... Events May 7 - In France the Second Council of Lyons opens to consider the condition of the Holy Land and to agree to a union with the Byzantine church. ...

The books of Aristotle were available in the Arab Empire and were studied by Islamic and Jewish scholars, including Rabbi Moses Maimonides (1135–1204) and Muslim Judge Ibn Rushd (1126 - 1198); both lived in Cordoba, Spain. Cordoba had 70 libraries, one of them with over 40,000 volumes; the two largest libraries in non-Arab Europe each had only 2,000 volumes. Thomas Aquinas used the writings and comments of Aristotle ("the philosopher"), Albert, Maimonides ("the Rabbi") and Ibn Rushd ("the commentator") and many others. Islam (Arabic: ; ( â–¶ (help· info)), the submission to God) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Hebrew: רבי משה בן מיימון; Arabic: Mussa bin Maimun ibn Abdallah al-Kurtubi al-Israili; March 30, 1135—December 13, 1204), commonly known by his Greek name Maimonides, was a Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher. ... Events January - Byland Abbey founded Stephen of Blois succeeds King Henry I. Empress Maud, daughter of Henry I and widow of Henry V opposed Stephen and claims the throne as her own Owain Gwynedd of Wales defeats the Normans at Crug Mawr. ... // Events February - Byzantine emperor Alexius IV is overthrown in a revolution, and Alexius V is proclaimed emperor. ... Averroes (1126 - December 10, 1198) was an Andalusi philosopher and physician, a master of philosophy and Islamic law, mathematics and medicine. ... See Córdoba for other places with the same name. ... Saint Thomas Aquinas [Thomas of Aquin, or Aquino] (c. ...

In the Enlightenment there was a revival of interest in logic as the basis of rational enquiry, and a number of texts, most successfully the Port-Royal Logic, polished Aristotelian term logic for pedagogy. During this period, while the logic certainly was based on that of Aristotle, Aristotle's writings themselves were less often the basis of study. There was a tendency in this period to regard the logical systems of the day to be complete, which in turn no doubt stifled innovation in this area. Immanuel Kant thought that there was nothing else to invent after the work of Aristotle, and a famous logic historian called Karl von Prantl claimed that any logician who said anything new about logic was "confused, stupid or perverse." These examples illustrate the force of influence which Aristotle's works on logic had. Indeed, he had already become known by the Scholastics (medieval Christian scholars) as "The Philosopher", in large part due to the influence he had upon Aquinas. The dogmatism created by the Scholastics in favor of Aristotle did not disappear until the early modern period. The Age of Enlightenment refers to the 18th century in European philosophy, and is often thought of as part of a period which includes the Age of Reason. ... Port-Royal Logic, or Logique Port-Royal, is the common name of La logique, ou larte de penser, an important work on logic first published anonymously in 1662 by Antoine Arnauld and Pierre Nicole, two pupils of the Jansenist Port-Royal school. ... Immanuel Kant (22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804), was a German philosopher from Königsberg in East Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). ... Karl von Prantl (January 28, 1820 - September 24, 1888), German philosopher, was born at Landsberg on the Lech. ... Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 - March 7, 1274) was a Catholic philosopher and theologian in the scholastic tradition, who gave birth to the Thomistic school of philosophy, which was long the primary philosophical approach of the Roman Catholic Church. ...

Since the historical discoveries and logic innovations of the 19th century, particularly the discovery of Indian logic, George Boole's algebraic logic and the formulation of predicate logic, Aristotelian logic no longer has such prestige and is mainly studied out of historical interest. There is, however, a mostly pedagogical interest in term logic deriving from its close structure to the actual forms of reasoning encountered in natural language. The development of logic in India dates back to the analysis of inference by Aksapada Gautama, founder of the Nyaya school of Hindu philosophy, probably in the first or second centuries BCE, and so stands as one of the three original traditions of logic, alongside the Greek and Chinese traditions. ... George Boole [], (November 2, 1815 Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England – December 8, 1864 Ballintemple, Cork City, Ireland) was a mathematician and philosopher. ... ... Traditional logic, also known as term logic, is a loose term for the logical tradition that originated with Aristotle and survived broadly unchanged until the advent of modern predicate logic in the late nineteenth century. ...

References

• All of the books of the Organon are available freely in English translation:
  1. Text of Categories
  2. Text of On Interpretation
  3. Text of Prior Analytics
  4. Text of Posterior Analytics
  5. Text of Topics
  6. Text of On Sophistical Refutations
• I. M. Bocheński, I. M., 1951. Ancient Formal Logic. North-Holland, Amsterdam.
• Louis Couturat, 1961. La Logique de Leibniz. Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung, Hildesheim.
• Hammond and Scullard, 1992. The Oxford Classical Dictionary. Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198691173.
• Jan Lukasiewicz, 1951. Aristotle's Syllogistic, from the Standpoint of Modern Formal Logic. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
• Parry and Hacker, 1991. Aristotelian Logic. State University of New York Press, Albany.
• Terence Parsons, 1999. 'Traditional Square of Opposition'. Article at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
• Lynn E. Rose, 1968. Aristotle's Syllogistic. Clarence C. Thomas, Springfield.
• Robin Smith, 2004. 'Aristotle's Logic'. Article at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
• W. Turner, 1903. 'History of Philosophy'. Ginn and Co, Boston. All references in this article are to Chapter nine on 'Aristotle'.

The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (hereafter SEP) is a free online encyclopedia of philosophy run and maintained by Stanford University. ... The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (hereafter SEP) is a free online encyclopedia of philosophy run and maintained by Stanford University. ...

External links

• J. Evans, 'A summary of the Organon'. Class notes.
• Aristotle article at the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy is an online encyclopedia on philosophical topics and philosophers founded by James Fieser in 1995. ...

Notes