Logic

The task of this chapter is extremely difficult, not only because it is impossible to cover in one short chapter the long history of the field of Arabic logic and the enormous quantity of material encompassed by it but also because many Arabic logical writings have not reached us. In addition, of those works that have reached us, many are still in manuscript form. Thus, it must be stressed at the outset that this is not the full story of Arabic logic or even the recounting of all its important elements, as a comprehensive study of the field is not possible at this point. Rather, this is a modest attempt to trace the outline of the history of Arabic logic, pointing out within the space allowed some of the essential features of this field which are accessible to us.