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1st World Congress on Logic, Chance, and Money

Speaker: Margaretha Hendrickx, Independent Researcher

The objective of this talk is to draw attention to Aristotle’s writings on the triangle of reference – especially the first sentence of section 16a3 of “On Interpretation” – and to introduce it as a crucially important orientational device to navigate discussions and research projects linking the notions of logic, chance and money with one another.

This conference brings together scholars from all over the world to compare notes on the above mentioned notions. But are all these scholars referencing similar chunks of material reality (denotative relation)? And what are their intentions when they communicate their ideas and thoughts while using these terms? Which connotations is one to associate with these terms (positive, negative or neutral; accidental, coincidental or necessary)?

This talk demonstrates how Aristotle’s “On Interpretation” can be used to disentangle the unique challenges associated with pinning down the meanings and associated intentions of the terms “logic”, “chance”, and “money." Combining Lakoff & Johnson’s (1980) idea to think of concepts as containers with the one of George Spencer-Brown (1969) to treat distinctions as containers, I visualize Aristotle’s triangles as schemas of distinctions/containers. These schemas can be helpful to sort out the various meanings attached to the terms “luck”, “chance”, and “logic.” In particular, they reveal the importance of paying attention to the distinction observable/unobservable and the role that metaphors play in turning the unobservable into something that can be discussed and examined in a tractable manner.

The talk uses the container metaphor to demonstrate that the terms, “money," “chance," and “logic," come with unique denotational and connotational challenges. This is especially the case when it comes to deciding which metaphor to use to clarify which meaning one intends to attach to the term, chance. I show that one has the choice among at least seven different metaphors, each one coming with its own unique idiosyncratic unintended consequences about how one thinks, talks, and reflects on the notions of logic and money and how they link with one another.