Interactive logic in the middle ages

Abstract

Recently logic has shifted emphasis from static systems developed for purely theoretical reasons to dynamic systems designed for application to real world situations. The emphasis on the applied aspects of logic and reasoning means that logic has become a pragmatic tool, to be judged against the backdrop of a particular application. This shift in emphasis is, however, not new. A similar shift towards "interactive logic" occurred in the high Middle Ages. We provide a number of different examples of "interactive logic" in the Middle Ages, all species of the disputation game obligatio. These games display a recognition of the importance of interaction in logical contexts and the way that interactive logic differs from single-agent inference.

Using the body to think: an analysis of the cognitive mechanisms underlying Thinking at the Edge and Tibetan monastic debate

“…It is in current practice a highly physical form of philosophical reasoning, whose purpose is to find inconsistencies in philosophical positions ( van Vugt et al 2019) by exploring those through a highly disciplined and at the same time vigorous dyadic practice. The logical structure of the practice bears similarities to similar practices in other traditions, such as obligatio that was practiced in Europe in the middle ages (Uckelman 2012).…”