Gottlob Frege · Mathematics

The Begriffsschrift: The Birth of Modern Logic

In a thin 1879 book Frege built the first genuine formal system of logic - with quantifiers, bound variables, and a rigorous treatment of generality - replacing Aristotle’s syllogism and giving us the predicate logic that underlies mathematics, computer science, and analytic philosophy.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Frege’s Begriffsschrift (1879) founded modern logic: it introduced the quantifier and bound variables, analysed generality and multiple generality, and demanded gapless chains of inference, superseding the two-thousand-year reign of the syllogism. Explain what was new and why it mattered.

Leads to Aristotle.

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