Philosophy Now Forum

Included Middle is an idea proposed by Stéphane Lupasco (in The Principle of Antagonism and the Logic of Energy in 1951), further developed by Joseph E. Brenner and Basarab Nicolescu, and also supported by Werner Heisenberg. The notion pertains to physics and quantum mechanics, and may have wider application in other domains such as information theory and computing, epistemology, and theories of consciousness. The Included Middle is a theory proposing that logic has a three-part structure. The three parts are the positions of asserting something, the negation of this assertion, and a third position that is neither or both. Lupasco labeled these states A, not-A, and T. The Included Middle stands in opposition to classical logic stemming from Aristotle. In classical logic, the Principle of Non-contradiction specifically proposes an Excluded Middle, that no middle position exists, tertium non datur (there is no third option). In traditional logic, for any proposition, either that proposition is true, or its negation is true (there is either A or not-A). While this could be true for circumscribed domains that contain only A and not-A, there may also be a larger position not captured by these two claims, and that is articulated by the Included Middle................................

Skepdick wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 8:33 amSo why do you think "real", "realness" and "reality" are meaningful things?

Skepdick wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 8:47 am

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 4:41 am Here's a challenge to you, or anyone: throw your most devious paradox my way and I'll dismantle it.

That's dismantle, not resolve.

Start with the liar's paradox.

Every human is a liar. True or false?

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 3:44 pm I got a hungry lion to my left and an angry unicorn to my right: which deserves my utmost attention?

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 3:44 pm The lion (cuz unicorns aren't real).

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 3:44 pm Understand?

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 3:44 pm I am lying: about what?

There are no lions in the USA, nor unicorns on Earth.

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 4:51 pm

There are no lions in the USA, nor unicorns on Earth.

Yes, there are...

...and...

...that's why I care about what's real.

Skepdick wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 4:57 pm

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 4:51 pm

There are no lions in the USA, nor unicorns on Earth.

Yes, there are...

...and...

...that's why I care about what's real.

You are kind of missing the point.

Why is the lion (to your left) "real", but the unicorn (to your right) "not real"?

You are observing both of them with your own eyes - why are you classifying their "realness" differently?

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 5:05 pm The unicorn is a drawing in a kid's book.

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 5:05 pm Anyway: any more paradoxes to share?

Skepdick wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 5:07 pm

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 5:05 pm The unicorn is a drawing in a kid's book.

So the unicorn is on the right hand-side of the book and the lion is on the left hand-side of the book?

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 5:05 pm Anyway: any more paradoxes to share?

I have plenty, but you haven't even resolved the first one.

Giving up so easily?

Arising_uk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 12:49 pmWell the quote from Rand(if it is one?) ...

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 5:13 pm Any more?

Walker wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 5:56 pm

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 5:13 pm Any more?

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”

Jesus
- Matthew 16:25

henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 3:40 pm

Included Middle is an idea proposed by Stéphane Lupasco (in The Principle of Antagonism and the Logic of Energy in 1951), further developed by Joseph E. Brenner and Basarab Nicolescu, and also supported by Werner Heisenberg. The notion pertains to physics and quantum mechanics, and may have wider application in other domains such as information theory and computing, epistemology, and theories of consciousness. The Included Middle is a theory proposing that logic has a three-part structure. The three parts are the positions of asserting something, the negation of this assertion, and a third position that is neither or both. Lupasco labeled these states A, not-A, and T. The Included Middle stands in opposition to classical logic stemming from Aristotle. In classical logic, the Principle of Non-contradiction specifically proposes an Excluded Middle, that no middle position exists, tertium non datur (there is no third option). In traditional logic, for any proposition, either that proposition is true, or its negation is true (there is either A or not-A). While this could be true for circumscribed domains that contain only A and not-A, there may also be a larger position not captured by these two claims, and that is articulated by the Included Middle................................

This...

The three parts are the positions of asserting something, the negation of this assertion, and a third position that is neither or both.

...makes no sense to me.

I say your pants are on fire (I assert sumthin').

You say your pants are not on fire, and you show me your non-burning pants (you negated my assertion).

Where the hell does a third position come into play?

And: color me stupid but I don't see what any of this has to do with paradoxes.

Included Middle is a concept already deployed in a variety of scientific domains and could benefit from a wider application in being promoted to “meme” status. This is because beyond its uses in science, Included Middle is a model for thinking. The Included Middle is a conceptual model that overcomes dualism and opens a frame that is complex and multi-dimensional, not merely one of binary elements and simple linear causality. We have now come to comprehend and address our world as one that is complex as opposed to basic, and formal tools that support this investigation are crucial. The Included Middle helps to expose how our thinking process unfolds. When attempting to grasp anything new, a basic “A, not-A” logic could be the first step in understanding the situation. However, the idea is then to progress to the next step which is another level of thinking that holds both A and not-A. The Included Middle is a more robust model that has properties of both determinacy and indeterminacy, the universal and the particular, the part and the whole, and actuality and possibility. The Included Middle is a position of greater complexity and possibility for addressing any situation. Conceiving of a third space that holds two apparent contradictions of a problem is what the Included Middle might bring to contemporary challenges in consciousness, artificial intelligence, disease pathologies, and unified theories in physics and cosmology.