Dialogue between Economics and Logic

Author: Fu Dianying, Zhang Feng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: Between April and May 2003, more than 10 mainstream media outlets in the capital prominently featured that 10 renowned logicians and linguists had issued a strong call: the chaos in logic and the normlessness in language in social life were cause for concern. The People's Daily (reporter Su Xianlong) reported on the front page that experts discussed the neglect of logic and the incorrect use of the national language from various perspectives, proposing constructive suggestions on how to improve people's logical thinking and language proficiency. The People's Daily (Overseas Edition) (reporter Liu Guochang) placed a large headline on the front page of the Education, Culture, Science, and Health section: "Chaos in Logic and Normlessness in Language Urgently Need Change." The article stated that experts expressed concern over the chaos in logic and the normlessness in language across all aspects of social life, strongly calling for further purification of the logical and linguistic environment and the enhancement of people's thinking and expression skills. The Guangming Daily (reporter Li Ruiying) highlighted on the front page of the theoretical section that logic is a summary of long-term thinking experience, a theory and tool for correct thinking and successful communication, serving society with its unique properties and functions. It plays a significant role in improving basic qualities and cultivating rationality and scientific spirit. Experts called on people to learn logical knowledge and consciously develop logical thinking habits, as well as to master logical analysis methods. The China Education Daily (reporter Pan Guolin) featured a large headline titled "Call for to Pay Attention to Logic and Language," dedicating two-thirds of the page to detailed summaries of the experts' remarks. The editor, in a preface, noted that experts reaffirmed the social functions and roles of logic, elaborating on the practical significance of learning and promoting logical science from political, economic, and cultural perspectives, which would be beneficial for educational and teaching work. The Legal Daily (correspondent Mei Shu'e) emphasized with the headline "Logical Thinking as the Intrinsic Requirement for Judicial Fairness" that one of the main reasons for problems in China's legislative and judicial fields was the lack of logical awareness, logical literacy, and logical thinking skills among some legislative and judicial personnel. The Worker Daily (reporter Wang Jinhai) published a full-page headline in the "News Observation" column: "Let Logic Break Free from the 'Ivory Tower.'" The article stated: "Today, we are facing a certain degree of chaos in logic and normlessness in language, yet most people are still unaware of this danger." The article added that logic is not just a field of study for a few experts but is closely related to the lives and personal interests of everyone, and it is essential to promote the popularization of logic. The Beijing Daily (reporter Qi Haiyan) reported on the front page with a large headline: "The Phenomenon of Logical Deficiency Causes Concern," highlighting the experts' opinions and emphasizing that "popularizing logical knowledge and standardizing thinking and language is an urgent task." The call from the experts came during a symposium titled "Logic, Language, and Social Life" held on the 21st anniversary of the establishment of the China Institute of Logic and Language Correspondence University. I attended this symposium and delivered a keynote speech. From the strong calls by the experts and the powerful coverage by the media, we can sense that:
- As the theory of correct thinking and successful communication, logic is a fundamental and tool-based science. Logical thinking has been companions to humanity, permeating all aspects of social life, everywhere and at all times. However, in today's Chinese society, the chaos in logic and the normlessness in language have reached a certain level of severity. Whether in legal provisions, economic contracts, decision-making arguments, advertisements, official speeches, teacher-led lessons, or media reports, it is almost impossible to avoid vague concepts, incorrect reasoning, unscientific arguments, and non-standard language. These logical and linguistic issues hinder people's normal lives and sometimes even lead to extremely serious consequences.
- It is heartening that a group of responsible scholars have paid attention to and emphasized the chaos in logic and the normlessness in language in social life. They have issued calls and proposed solutions. Equally encouraging is that a group of sensitive journalists have taken note of the experts' opinions and promptly reflected their sentiments. I would like to add that leaders from relevant departments also expressed excellent views at the symposium, sharing a high degree of consensus with the experts. I believe that if everyone takes action together to promote the popularization of logic, fully leveraging its social functions, the phenomenon of chaos in logic and the loss of language in social life will improve in the near future. Compiling the Logic in Time and Space series can be seen as a concrete action to address the experts' calls. Our starting point is to popularize logical knowledge to society, leverage its social functions, promote healthy and effective thinking across the community, cultivate people's rational character and scientific spirit, and serve the country's economic construction and social harmony.
Fifteen years ago, I had the opportunity to read the manuscript of L. S. Stebbing's "Effective Thinking," translated by Professor Lü Shuxiang. The book was written in response to the lack of logic and even the opposition to logic in British society during the 1930s. However, the author did not write it as a textbook on logic but, from a broader perspective of effective thinking, pointed out the various internal and external obstacles and distractions people often encounter when thinking. He emphasized that without addressing these obstacles and distractions, people could not engage in effective thinking, which would hinder them from making correct actions. The book's arguments were closely tied to the then-social life and typical examples of daily thinking, with insightful analysis and readability. I believe that although the book was written by the author for British society more than half a century ago, China today also needs this book. I also proposed that Chinese scholars should write a book similar to "Effective Thinking," tailored to the realities of contemporary China, which would undoubtedly help Chinese people engage in effective thinking. The publication of the Logic in Time and Space series is also an extension of the idea I proposed 15 years ago.
The basic positioning of the Logic in Time and Space series is a popular reader and a teaching reference book. The main content of the series explores and explains logical issues in various fields of social life. The specific writing approach focuses on the most common logical problems in a particular field of social life, using typical cases for illustration and introducing relevant logical knowledge. When introducing logical knowledge, the series does not aim for completeness but emphasizes key points, meaning that in a specific field, we focus on the prominent logical issues. To facilitate reader understanding, relevant prerequisite knowledge is introduced when necessary. The Logic in Time and Space series also selects several influential logic popularization books published in the past 20 years in China. These books have all been revised by their authors. The series includes 13 books:
1. "The Social Function of Logic," by Zhang Jianjun, Vice Director of the Department of Philosophy at Nanjing University, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, and Vice President of the China Society of Logic.
2. "Click Thinking," by Zhang Xiuting, Professor at Qinhuangdao Radio and Television University.
3. "The Admonition of Logic," by Wang Hong, Director of the Institute of Logic at China University of Political Science and Law and Professor.
4. "Dialogue Between Economy and Logic," by Fu Dianying, Professor at Capital University of Economics and Business.
5. "Logic in the Campus," by Wei Shilin, Professor at Yunnan Normal University.
6. "Game Thinking," by Pan Tianqun, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the Department of Philosophy at Nanjing University.
7. "The Logic of," by Li Yanhua, Director of the Logic Teaching and Research Office at the China Women's College and Professor at the China Institute of Logic and Language Correspondence University.
8. "Public Speaking, Debate, and Logic," by Tan Darong, Director of the Yearbook Editing Office of the Chongqing Association of Social Sciences and an Associate Professor.
9. "Logic in Ancient Poems and Lyrics," by Peng Yilian, Professor at the Department of Philosophy at East China Normal University and former Vice President of the China Society of Logic.
10. "Logic Thinking Training," by Ang Yang and Chen Wei, from the Logic Teaching and Research Office of the Department of Philosophy at Fudan University.
11. "New Edition of Logic and Wisdom," by Zheng Weihong, Researcher at the Institute of Ancient Books at Fudan University.
12. "Fun Logic," by Peng Yilian, Professor at the Department of Philosophy at East China Normal University and former Vice President of the China Society of Logic; and Yu Shihou, Professor at the Media College of City University of Zhejiang University and Deputy President of the Zhejiang Society of Logic.
13. "Jokes, Humor, and Logic," by Tan Darong, Director of the Yearbook Editing Office of the Chongqing Association of Social Sciences and an Associate Professor.
The Logic in Time and Space series will soon be available to. At this moment, I sincerely thank the series planner, Yang Shulan. Ms. Shulan is a senior editor and planner at Peking University Press with extensive publishing experience. She has also taught logic at universities for many years, deeply understanding its functions and roles. On September 30, 2003, when I spoke to Ms. Shulan over the phone about the chaos in logic in social life and people's desire to learn logical knowledge, she shared the same sentiments. Twenty days later, we developed the idea of compiling the Logic in Time and Space series. As the planner, she proposed the basic concept and writing requirements for the series, helped me identify several authors, and maintained regular contact with them. I will not exaggerate if I say that without Ms. Shulan's high sense of social responsibility and foresight, the Logic in Time and Space series would not have been able to be published so smoothly.