Foundations of the Logical Theory of Scientific Knowledge (Complex Logic)

by A.A. Zinov'ev

Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science are devoted to symposia, con­ gresses, colloquia, monographs and collected papers on the philosophical foundations of the sciences. It is now our pleasure to include A. A. Zi­ nov'ev's treatise on complex logic among these volumes. Zinov'ev is one of the most creative of modern Soviet logicians, and at the same time an innovative worker on the methodological foundations of science. More­ over, Zinov'ev, although still a developing scholar, has exerted a sub­ stantial and stimulating influence upon his colleagues and students in Moscow and within other philosophical and logical circles of the Soviet Union. Hence it may be helpful, in bringing this present work to an English-reading audience, to review briefly some contemporary Soviet investigations into scientific methodology. During the 1950's, a vigorous new research program in logic was under­ taken, and the initial published work -characteristic of most Soviet pub­ lications in the logic and methodology of the sciences - was a collection of essays, Logical Investigations (Moscow, 1959). Among the authors, in addition to Zinov'ev himself, were the philosophers A. Kol'man and P. V. Tavanec, and the mathematicians and linguists, S. A. Janovskaja, A. S. Esenin-Vol'pin, S. K. Saumjan, G. N. Povarov.

326 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 1973

Reviews

[Dmitry Borisoglebsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aleksandr Zinov'ev made a unique contribution to science by developing: (1) complex logic, a combination of symbolic logic, ontology, and epistemology; (2) logical theory of scientific knowledge, built upon his complex logic; (3) logical sociology, built upon the theory of scientific knowledge; (4) analysis of Russian Communism and the West, utilizing the logical sociology as a foundation. This book focuses on the second level: the logical theory of scientific knowledge. It is difficult to read due to the extensive use of symbolic logic, but the concepts I grasped significantly added to my clarity of thought.