Logical Culture of Ancient Rus

Abstract

The article is devoted to the formation of logic in Russia, which began in the 18th century. However, its prerequisites go into much deeper layers of Russian culture. The logical culture of any society is a characteristic set of stereotypes of thinking, which is manifested in the methods of argumentation, as well as in the ability to evaluate inferences, develop hypotheses, systematize objects, etc. The first logical and philosophical treatise in Ancient Rus is considered to be the "Anthology of Svyatoslav," the logical part of which contained a presentation of the Aristotelian treatise "Categories," as well as a commentary on it, written in the 3rd century by the Syrian logician Porphyry. More extensive logical material could be drawn from the translations and renditions of "Dialectics," written in the 8th century by Byzantine theologian John of Damascus. The Aristotelian categories were considered in them, as well as judgment and categorical syllogism. The emergence of logic in Russia was associated not only with its internal objective laws, but also with needs for the development of those areas of theoretical and practical activity in which the important role was assigned to the validity and persuasiveness of reasoning. Mathematics and philosophy were the most important among the areas of theoretical activity. Governance of community and veche was the most important among the areas of practical activity. The development of logical culture, which began in Ancient Rus in the 11th century, in the 18th century led to the formation of logic in Russia. But it took decades for logic in Russia to become an independent science.