Jan Lukasiewicz
Oxford University Press (Clarendon Press), 1998 (reprint of 1957, second edition).
cloth, dj., 222 pp.
Book Number 20400
Jan Lukasiewicz (1878-1956) was one of the most important and innovative logicians of this century. Tarski and Slupecki were among his students. He developed the now familiar Polish notation and his work in 'many-valued logic' and the formal axiomatization of syllogisms has generated -- and still generates -- interest among logicians. First published in 1951 and significantly revised in 1957, this is his most important book. The first, 'historical' part of the work expounds the Aristotelian doctrines and explains them from the standpoint of modern formal logic; the following 'systematic' section, intended by Lukasiewicz as an introduction to modern formal logic, explains the modern theories necessary for an understanding of Aristotle's syllogistic and includes the proof of decision by Slupecki. The final chapters contain the exposition of the modal system Lukasiewicz created in order to be "able to explain the difficulties and correct the errors of the Aristotelian modal syllogistic."