People can
understand and communicate with each other even if they are separated by both time
and space. When we read, for example,
the lecture notes taken by a disciple of Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher who
lived in ancient Rome, we can appreciate the 1900 year old sayings of the Master
as if they were spoken yesterday. When two
people raised in completely different cultures and countries come together and
find a common medium, they can immediately begin to communicate, and may
understand each other’s feelings and thoughts.
We even imagine that we can communicate with extra-terrestrials if one day
they come from other worlds to ours.
In fact, the
feelings and thoughts of each individual are extremely specific and
personal. Everything we know about the
external world is first received by our senses, transferred to our phenomenal
mind and there our “external world model” is shaped. Then, how it can be
possible that two completely unique minds can share a common medium, can communicate
with each other and can understand others?
What are the principles and foundations that constitute a common base
for this interaction? If these
principles are common for all rational beings, is this common base “a priori,”
that is, something you already have at birth, or is it something gained with
life experiences, through senses and observations?
The human
mind first creates concepts, then constructs propositions and then makes
logical deductions. A “concept” in
logical terminology means “anything thought.”
This “thing” here can be an “object,” a “situation,” a “sense,” or even
a “relation.” It can be abstract or
concrete, real or virtual. Objects are
the basic logical units. The human mind uses concepts and propositions
constructed with these concepts in conformance with basic thinking principles
and makes logical deductions, which facilitates communication with other minds through
interaction.
The basic
principles of logic are valid for all humans no matter when or where and regardless
from which society or culture they are.
The basic principles of logic do not need to be known to actualize their
existence and functions; we think and reason according to these principles
without consciously realizing that we follow them. When these principles are not observed,
contradictions in the flow of ideas happens, correct reasoning becomes
impossible and the possibility of communication is lost.
The majority
of logicians accept that the three basic principles of thought are: 1. Identity, 2. Non-contradiction, and 3. The
Excluded Middle. Here the basic
principle which provides consistency, continuity and the possibility of
interacting with other minds is the Principle
of Identity. The Principle of
Non-contradiction and The Principle of the Excluded Middle can be derived from the
Identity Principle. The great German
mathematician and philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) added a new
one to these three principles as “a grand principle of being and knowing”:
The Principle
of Sufficient Reason. Leibniz asserted
that two principles are sufficient for the mind and logic: The Non-contradiction
(or identity) Principle as a combination of the first three principles and The
Principle of Sufficient Reason.
Even if
different views are presented when the validity of these principles are
questioned, they are imperative and inalterable when mind and logic are considered. In one of his essays, Leibniz writes; “The principles of mind are necessary for
thought, as muscles and tendons are for walking. Without them thinking is not possible, as the
mind relies on these principles constantly.” In this regard, these principles are related to
the essence of humans: Man can exist
only with them. This human characteristic
differentiates him from other living creatures.
