Frege, Gottlob in Philosophy
Gottlob Frege was a German philosopher and mathematician who lived between 1848 and 1925. He is considered one of the founders of modern logic and one of the main exponents of logicism, a philosophical current that seeks to base mathematics on logic. In this glossary, we will explore Frege's life and main contributions to philosophy.
Life and academic training
Gottlob Frege was born in Wismar, a city in northern Germany. He studied mathematics, physics and philosophy at the University of Jena, where he came into contact with the ideas of Kant and Hegel. After completing his studies, Frege worked as a mathematics teacher at several secondary schools before becoming a professor at the University of Jena in 1879.
Contributions to logic
One of Frege's main contributions to philosophy was the development of first-order logic, also known as predicate logic. He introduced the concept of quantification, which allows expressing universal and existential propositions in a precise and rigorous way. Furthermore, Frege developed a symbolic notation to represent logical propositions, which facilitated the study and application of logic.
Frege's principle
Another important contribution by Frege was the so-called “Frege principle”, which establishes that the meaning of a linguistic expression is determined by its referent. In other words, the meaning of a word or expression is related to what it refers to in the real world. This principle had a significant impact on the field of semantics and influenced the development of speech act theory.
Distinction between sense and reference
Frege was also responsible for making a fundamental distinction between the sense and reference of an expression. The meaning of an expression is its conceptual content, what it means or represents. The reference is the object or entity in the real world to which the expression refers. This distinction is essential to understanding the nature of language and the relationship between words and the world.
Criticism of psychologism
Frege was a fierce critic of psychologism, a philosophical current that sought to base logic and mathematics in psychology. For him, logic and mathematics are objective and independent disciplines of the human mind. He argued that the laws of logic are valid independently of individual beliefs and mental processes, and that mathematical truth is determined by logical criteria and not by subjective experiences.
Frege's theorem
One of Frege's most important results was the so-called “Frege theorem”, which establishes that arithmetic can be reduced to first-order logic. This means that it is possible to base mathematics on logic, demonstrating that all concepts and theorems of arithmetic can be expressed in logical terms. This result had a profound impact on the field of philosophy of mathematics and influenced the development of logicism.
Influence and legacy
Frege's work had a significant influence on the development of philosophy and logic. His ideas and concepts were fundamental to the emergence of mathematical logic and the advancement of analytical philosophy. Furthermore, his contributions to the theory of language and the philosophy of mathematics continue to be studied and debated to this day.
Late recognition
Despite his important contributions, Frege's work did not receive the recognition it deserved during his lifetime. It was only after his death that his ideas began to be valued and his legacy recognized. Today, he is considered one of the great philosophers and logicians of the XNUMXth century and his works are widely studied and cited.
Conclusion
In summary, Gottlob Frege was a German philosopher and mathematician who played a fundamental role in the development of modern logic and the foundation of mathematics in logic. His contributions to the philosophy of language, speech act theory, and the philosophy of mathematics remain relevant and influential to this day. His work revolutionized the way we understand logic and language, and his legacy endures as a landmark in the history of philosophy.
