What follows from a contradiction? Three answers seem to exhaust logical space, regardless of what you take to be the kind of things which follow (propositions, sentences, thoughts...) - everything, something, and nothing. Orthodoxy, enshrined in the misnamed classical logic, has it that anything whatsoever follows from a contradiction. And many non-classical approaches, including intuitionism, agree. Meanwhile authors such as Graham Priest have explored the idea that some propositions, but not every proposition, follow from a contradiction. So, for instance, P follows from (P&~P) but arbitrary Q does not.
The suggestion that nothing whatsoever follows from a contradiction is historically important but less explored in contemporary logic. My research aims to put that right, combining philosophical, historical, and formal methods to provide a comprehensive assessment of the position. This blog will track the progress of the research, advertising events and giving details of outputs.
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AuthorSimon Hewitt, Archives
July 2018
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