Aristotle's On Interpretation - Live-Reading--European Style

June 3 - We are reading chapter 14 on distinguishing assertions about beliefs versus assertions about things out there. The bookmark is set at Bekker line 23a27.
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If you have a belief about something, then it's true to assert that you have that belief regardless of whether the belief itself corresponds to what is out there. So, what is the contrary belief of a belief, and what is its truth status?
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Let's say someone has the belief that muddy water boosts children's immunity when they play in it. Okay. It is true for him. It is not true for someone else. A belief is an opinion; everyone is entitled to his. Fine. If the same person were to entertain a contrary belief, how strong would it have to be to change his mind? How would it be stated?
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Join the meeting and discuss.
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Organon means "instrument," as in, instrument for thought and speech. The term was given by ancient commentators to a group of Aristotle's treatises comprising his logical works.

Organon
|-- Categories ---- 2023.02.28
|-- On Interpretation ---- 2023.12.12
|-- Topics
|-- On Sophistical Refutations
|-- Rhetoric*
|-- Prior Analytics
|-- Posterior Analytics

(* Robin Smith, author of SEP's 2022 entry "Aristotle's Logic," argues that Rhetoric should be part of the Organon.)

Whenever we do any human thing, we can either do it well or do it poorly. With instruments, we can do things either better, faster, and more; or worse, slower, and less. That is, with instruments they either augment or diminish our doings.

Do thinking and speaking (and writing and listening) require instruments? Yes. We do need physical instruments like microphones, megaphones, pens, papers, computers. But we also need mental instruments: grammar, vocabulary words, evidence-gathering techniques, big-picture integration methods, persuasion strategies. Thinking while sitting meditatively all day in a lotus position doesn't require much instrumentation of any kind, but thinking and speaking well in the sense of project planning, problem-solving, negotiating, arguing, deliberating--that is, the active doings in the world (whether romantic, social, commercial, or political)--do require well-honed mental instruments. That's the Organon in a nutshell.

Are you an up-and-coming human being, a doer, go-getter, achiever, or at least you're choosing to become one? You need to wield the Organon.

Join us.