Around and Beyond the Square of Opposition

Book excerpt: The theory of oppositions based on Aristotelian foundations of logic has been pictured in a striking square diagram which can be understood and applied in many different ways having repercussions in various fields: epistemology, linguistics, mathematics, sociology, physics. The square can also be generalized in other two-dimensional or multi-dimensional objects extending in breadth and depth the original Aristotelian theory. The square of opposition from its origin in antiquity to the present day continues to exert a profound impact on the development of deductive logic. Since 10 years there is a new growing interest for the square due to recent discoveries and challenging interpretations. This book presents a collection of previously unpublished papers by high level specialists on the square from all over the world.