Nature Vs. Nurture: Is the Origin of Logic Innate or Acquired

Abstract

The study of logic since 5 BCE has given rise to various logical systems, such as theological, classical, and intuitionistic. There are applications in various fields such as semantics and philosophy. The question of whether logic is inherent or acquired through experience has long been debated by rationalists and empiricists. This research aims to elaborate on the long-lasting debate about the innate nature of logic through exploring fields such as neuroscience and psychology. Logical reasoning is a crucial cognitive skill, enabling critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making in everyday life, academics, and professional settings. Professor Justin Halberda and Dr. Nicolo Cesana-Arlotti done experiments recently focusing on disjunction syllogism logic in infants below 2 years old. The experiment observes the external behaviors of the babies, an indirect method to evaluate the thoughts and mind of the babies. The conclusions of the experiments indicated that infants seemed to engage in logical inference conspicuously during ambiguous situations, implying the existence of some basic logic models from birth.