Is There Anthropological Evidence that Logic Is Culturally Relative?: Remarks on Bloor, Jennings, and Evans-Pritchard

Academic Article

Abstract

  • Logical relativism is the view that a logical proposition is known just in case it is collectively endorsed in some culture. This striking and controversial view is defended by David Bloor and Richard C Jennings. They cite in its support distinctive reasoning practices among the Azande as described by E E Evans-Pritchard. Jennings has challenged my critique of Bloor's logical relativism, claiming that my analysis is based on misunderstandings of Bloor and Evans-Pritchard. I argue that Jennings' clarifications of Bloor do nothing to support the thesis of logical relativism, and that a direct examination of Evans- Pritchard's evidence suggests that the Azande reason just as we do.
  • Authors

    Status

    Publication Date

  • June 1, 1994
  • Has Subject Area

    Digital Object Identifier (doi)

    Start Page

  • 749
  • End Page

  • 760
  • Volume

  • 45
  • Issue

  • 2