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AB DIALECTIC.
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ABA FOUNDATION RULE 1
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We have seen in AA that phenomena occur necessarily as components
of polar structures, as poles of phenomenal dipoles. Within a dipole
one of the components may be considered as the referential, or
the foundation of the other. In other words, knowledge of a phenomenon
cannot be dissociated from that of the involved referential and any
proposition expressing this knowledge must refer explicitly or
implicitly to this referential. We shall say that the proposition is
founded in the referential, which we shall call its foundation.
We have proposed the following classification of referentials:
proper (of human class)
pertinent (to phenomenon)
non-pertinent
improper
This classification may be used as the base for a corresponding
classification of the propositions which we propose to call
FOUNDATION RULE:
Foundation Proposition type
existing meaningful
proper rational
pertinent rigorous
non-pertinent non-rigorous
improper irrational
non-existing meaningless
Only rigorous propositions may be associated with a logical value, i.e.
be true or false. Logical inference applies exclusively to rigorous
propositions. All propositions involved in any logical calculus must be
rigorous.
In AAA we have introduced UH, the human universe of discourse. It has
a particular importance as foundation of the overwhelming part of
human knowledge. With respect to UH the fondation rule may be precised
in several details.
ABA FOUNDATION RULE 2
We have seen that the element of UH, the situation divides time into
past, domain of objectivity and future, domain of subjectivity.
Past admits knowledge, future admits belief and volition. Propositions
founded in UH have to respect this structure. Consequently, objective
propositions are rational IFF (if and only if) they refer to past
phenomena. Propositions refering to future phenomena are rational
IFF they concern subject's attitude with respect to these phenomena, but
not the phenomena themselves. The proposition "The plain from Paris
landed yesterday at 11 h." is rational and may be true or false on
further condition to be rigorous, i.e. supported for instance by a
record of plain arrivals.
On the contrary, "The plain from Paris will land to morrow at 11 h."
is irrational. It is therefore logically undetermined, neither true,
nor false. The question about its truth may only be reasonably answered
by "let's wait and see". However, this type of proposition usually
implies subject's belief. If that is the case, the proposition really
means: "I believe that the plain from Paris will land to morrow at
11 h." Now it is rational and may have a logical value, however with
respect to my belief, rather than to the landing itself. It is true
if I really believe in what I utter, it is false if I am lying.
With respect to UH the foundation rule restricts the domain of
rationality of objective propositions to the past and of subjective
propositions to the future.
We shall use the terms "foundation", "foundation rule", etc. as
implicitly refering to UH. In other cases involved referentials will be
explicitly specified.
In the the rest of the present chapter we shall discuss the impact of
the foundation rule and more generally of the relativity on the
domain of human reasoning.
Let us start by applying the foudation rule to some of the best known
logical antinomies.