The Evolution of Reason: Logic as a Branch of Biology

Formal Logic Has Traditionally Been Conceived As Bearing No Special Relationship To Biology. Recent Developments In Evolutionary Theory Suggest, However, That The Two Subjects May Be Intimately Related. In This Book, William Cooper Presents A Carefully Supported Theory Of Rationality In Which Logical Law Is Seen As An Intrinsic Aspect Of The Process Of Evolution. This Biological Perspective On Logic, Though At Present Unorthodox, Suggests New Evolutionary Foundations For The Study Of Human And Animal Reasoning. Professor Cooper Examines The Formal Connections Between Logic And Evolutionary Biology, Noting How The Logical Rules Are Directly Derivable From Evolutionary Principles. Laws Of Decision And Utility Theory, Probabilistic Induction, Deduction, And Mathematics Are Found To Be Natural Consequences Of Elementary Population Processes. Relating Logical Law To Evolutionary Dynamics In This Way Gives Rise To A Unified Evolutionary Science Of Rationality. The Evolution Of Reason Provides A Significant And Original Contribution In The Field Of Evolutionary Epistemology. It Will Be Of Interest To Professionals And Students Of Philosophy Of Science, Formal Logic, Evolutionary Theory, And The Cognitive Sciences.--jacket. The Biology Of Logic -- The Evolutionary Derivation Of Life-history Strategy Theory -- The Evolutionary Derivation Of Decision Logic -- The Evolutionary Derivation Of Inductive Logic (part 1) -- T The Evolutionary Derivation Of Deductive Logic (part Ii) -- The Evolutionary Derivation Of Mathematics -- Broadening The Evolutionary Foundation Of Classical Logic -- The Evolutionary Derivation Of Nonclassical Logics -- Radical Reductionism In Logic -- Toward A Unified Science Of Reason. William S. Cooper. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 217-222) And Index.