Logical Relativism

Logic, Grammar, and Arithmetic in Cultural Comparison

Bibliographic Data

ID3856166
AuthorsC Greiffenhagen (0000-0002-7544-9246, University of Manchester, corresponding author), W Sharrock (0000-0002-7029-8653, University of Manchester)
Year2006
Volume14
Issue3
Pages275-301
Publication date2006-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueConfigurations (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1063-1801 • E-ISSN: 1080-6520
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/con.0.0016
OpenAlexW2020579846
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited18

Logical relativism is the claim that different cultures may think according to \ndifferent logical laws. For example, it is often argued that whereas ‘we’ (Westerners) \noperate according to the law of the excluded middle, ‘they’ (e.g., the Chinese or the \nAzande) may not. In this article, we question whether logical relativism is an empirical \nthesis, i.e., a thesis that is substantiated through anthropological examples. \nWe distinguish two forms of logical relativism, both of which try to account for alleged \ncontradictions in the beliefs of other cultures. The ‘alternative logic’ approach suggests \nthat contradictions only appear if we judge beliefs according to classical logic, but do not \nexist if we judge them according to an alternative (non-standard) logic. The ‘symmetric \ntreatment’ suggests that whether there is a contradiction or not is itself a culture-specific \nmatter, such that what may be a contradiction ‘for them’ may not be a contradiction ‘for \nus’ and vice versa. We question whether either of these arguments really involves \nrelativism and show that problems arise in the treatment of the examples, firstly, in terms \nof questionable preconceptions made about the status of logic as a standard of \ncomparison and, secondly, in the ways in which relevant beliefs are formulated

Cultural relativism · Epistemology · Logical reasoning · Rationality · Relativism · Categorization, perception, and language · Cultural Differences and Values · Language and cultural evolution · Law · Mathematics · Philosophy