From Logic to Mathematical Logic: On the History of Logic in the 19th Century

Abstract

We give an overview of the historiography of mathematical logic and point some weak points of the standard narrative. We present an alternative interpretation of the history of logic in the nineteenth century which suggests that the origins of mathematical logic can be better understood as a process of continuous transformation rather than as an instance of emergence. We conclude that there is a need for a more nuanced, source-based retelling of the origins of mathematical logic.