The logic of language and the counterintutivenessof the logical tool of material implication

Abstract

The article re-examines the age-long disparity between logic and ordinary everyday language and the possible relation between them. This is done against the backdrop of the modern advancement in logical principles particularly, the introduction of logical constants, the use of which results in paradoxes when juxtaposed with ordinary language in the description of some particular state of affairs, or real life situation. Specifically, the paper assesses one of the logical constants known as material implication, with the single intention of finding out its implication upon interpretation to ordinary language usage. In an attempt to reconcile the two languages, the paper indicates that logic and ordinary language exist in two different worlds, and hence, the former cannot be applied in the latter without passing certain difficulties to our common intuition. In doing this, the paper adopts a systematic theoretical discourse methodology that is reflective and analytic.