THE LIMITS OF DOUBLE NEGATION IN ETHICS: A SHIFT TO CONTEXTUAL AND NON-CLASSICAL LOGICS

Authors : Osman Gazi Birgül

Pages : 530-545

Doi:10.69878/deuefad.1603918

View : 63 | Download : 124

Publication Date : 2025-10-27

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The study aims at providing a logical analysis of the principles of practical ethics such as ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’ or ‘Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of justice’, which are often applied without deep analysis. To achieve this aim, the study is structured into two sections. The first section, arguing that these principles, though seemingly contradictory, share common logical grounds rooted in classical logic’s laws: double negation, the law of excluded middle, and the law of non-contradiction, explores the logical underpinnings of such ethical principles, analyzing their function within binary logical systems. Demonstrating that while these principles hold in binary contexts, the section argues that they struggle to accommodate the complexity of ethical scenarios where binary logic proves insufficient. Accordingly, double negation, crucial in dichotomous predicates, falters in situations involving vagueness or moral nuance, where non-classical logics like fuzzy or intuitionistic logic offer more flexibility. The second section argues that classical binary logic fails to capture the gradations of moral reasoning, exemplified by dilemmas like the Trolley Problem, and that virtue ethics, which emphasizes context and practice, aligns better with these alternative logical systems. The study concludes that a shift to non-classical logics is necessary to address the complexities of ethical reasoning, highlighting the inseparability of moral theory and practice.
Keywords : Çift Olumsuzlama, Pratik Etik, İki-Değerli Mantıklar, Çok-Değerli Mantıklar, Erdem Etiği

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