Weaving self-evidence : a sociology of logic / Claude Rosental; translated by Catherine Porter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rosental, Claude, author.

Contributor:

Porter, Catherine, 1941- translator.

Series:

Princeton studies in cultural sociology.

Princeton studies in cultural sociology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Logic, Symbolic and mathematical--Social aspects.

Logic, Symbolic and mathematical.

Reasoning--Social aspects.

Reasoning.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (312 pages) : illustrations.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey ; Oxford, England : Princeton University Press, [2008]

Language Note:

Translated from the French.

Summary:

The development of theorems in logic is generally thought to be a solitary and purely cerebral activity, and therefore unobservable by sociologists. In Weaving Self-Evidence, French sociologist Claude Rosental challenges this notion by tracing the history of one well-known recent example in the field of artificial intelligence--a theorem on the foundations of fuzzy logic. Rosental's analyses disclose the inherently social nature of the process by which propositions in logic are produced, disseminated, and established as truths. Rosental describes the different phases of the emergence of the theorem on fuzzy logic, from its earliest drafts through its publication and diffusion, discussion and reformulation, and eventual acceptance by the scientific community. Through observations made at major universities and scholarly conferences, and in electronic forums, he looks at the ways students are trained in symbolic manipulations and formal languages and examines how researchers work, interact, and debate emerging new ideas. By carefully analyzing the concrete mechanisms that lead to the collective development and corroboration of proofs, Rosental shows how a logical discovery and its recognition within the scholarly community are by no means the product of any one individual working in isolation, but rather a social process that can be observed and studied. Weaving Self-Evidence will interest students and researchers in sociology and the history and philosophy of science and technology, and anyone curious about how scientists work.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

PART ONE: ACCESSING THE WORLD OF PRODUCERS OF LOGICAL STATEM

CHAPTER 1. HOW CAN WE GRASP WHAT LOGIC-MAKERS DO? QUESTIONS RAISED IN THE HUMAN SCIENCES AND PHILOSOPHY ABOUT LOGIC AND MATHEMATICS

CHAPTER 2. SPACES AND TOOLS FOR EXCHANGE

PART TWO: PRACTICES OF DE-MONSTRATION: DEBATING A THEOREM IN AN ELECTRONIC FORUM

CHAPTER 3. BRINGING TO LIGHT: DEMONSTRATION PUT TO THE TEST OF ANTAGONISTIC LOGICAL PRACTICES

CHAPTER 4. EVALUATING THE CORRECTNESS OF A THEOREM AND THE PROPERTIES OF A LOGIC AT THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN SEVERAL DE-MONSTRATIVE MODES

PART THREE: MEDIATIONS USED TO ADVANCE A LOGICAL THEOREM

CHAPTER 5. MEDIATIONS USED TO ADVANCE. A LOGICAL THEOREM

CHAPTER 6. FEDERATING A COUNTER-DE-MONSTRATION OR PRODUCING HAND-TAILORED RESPONSES

CHAPTER 7. THE EMERGENCE OF A QUASI-OBJECT AND A COLLECTIVE STATEMENT

CONCLUSION. A SOCIOLOGY OF THE PRACTICES OF DE-MONSTRATION

WORKS CITED

INDEX

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780691227504

0691227500