What is logic about? (Q2776062)

To answer the question of the title, the author proposes that logic is a theory about language, and in particular, a theory about what makes an argument in language, especially the ordinary languages that people use, valid or invalid. As a theory its principles are not to be thought of as logically true, or knowable a priori, but inductively justified. This is to contrast with the view that logic is about sets, or algebras, or the formulas of artfully designed artificial languages. The author deliberately does not argue for his view; but presents it through a polemical story. Behind the story, however, one might find support for the view in the claim that it avoids problems that allegedly arise under other, more orthodox pictures.NEWLINENEWLINEFor the entire collection see [Zbl 0972.00009].