Logic and the Early Analytic Philosophers

We have all at some point used the words logical vs. illogical or rational vs. irrational as words to mark our agreement or disagreement with someones actions. So we have some idea of what these words mean, but in my experience, we use these words in wildly different ways throughout everyday conversation. One of the objectives of philosophy is to get clear about concepts. Hence the goal of this talk is to get clear about what reason and logic mean for the analytic philosophers while exploring the history of this development by Frege, Russell, and Wittgenstein. We will introduce the concept of a valid and sound argument which will motivate two questions 1. What does it mean for an argument to be logical? 2. How do we pick true premises? The discussion of these questions will lead us to Wittgenstein's ideas in On Certainty as we meditate on the insight that "Explanation begins somewhere."

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This talk is part of the 🧠 NYC Philosophy & Psychology Readers Spring Conference 2026
For full event details—including venue, schedule, and attendance info—visit:
👉 https://www.meetup.com/reading-philosophy/events/312317415/
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