Logic and other nonsense : the case of Anselm and his God
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Logic and other nonsense : the case of Anselm and his God
Princeton University Press, c1993
Available at 7 libraries
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-130) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Logic is often seen as the bedrock of intellectual life. It aims to be straight-forward, true, clear. But in this provocative book of postmodern philosophy, Ermanno Bencivenga presents an extended reflection on the subversive nature of logic--logic that is not stable and certain, but deceptive and tortuous. The author uses Anselm, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the end of the eleventh century, as his case study to show how human reason can be devious. In Anselm's famous texts, his beliefs are not at stake, he is sure of them--he only seeks to under-stand his faith, not to prove it. But by looking at Anselm's writings as a whole, Bencivenga argues that they undermine Anselm's own interpretation. Not only can reason be more effective than force in fighting the unorthodox, but it can also be a subtle way of undermining orthodoxy. Bencivenga demonstrates how reason plays different roles at the different levels of Anselm's project. For its authoritarian subject, reason imposes a limit on its rebellious character. For its subversive subject, reason opens up an infinite arena for experimentation whose end will never be reached.
Ultimately, Logic and Other Nonsense asks hard questions about the nature of philosophy in Anselm's world, as well as our own.
Table of Contents
PrefaceNote on TextsCh. 1The Program3Transcendental Concerns3Language Tricks15Teaching Rationality24Ch. 2The Program Criticized33Inflexible Reason33Fighting for Consistency40The Consistency of What?46Logic and Power58Ch. 3The Program Revisited62Importunate Questioning62Clues66A Perfect Spy78Damning Reason84Ch. 4That, Than Which a Greater Cannot Be Thought91Upper Bounds91Mothers of Invention99The Law of the Jungle105Appendix 1: The Logic of an Illusion113Appendix 2: Esoteric Doctrines124Bibliography127Index131
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