Logic, Logical Norms, and (Normative) Grounding

Abstract

AbstractWhile Bolzano’s writings were largely ignored by the philosophical community of his time, they later aroused the attention of Franz Brentano and his students, in particular that of Edmund Husserl. This paper examines a range of Husserl’s views on grounding and their relation to Bolzano’s views. A particular emphasis is laid on Husserl’s conception of logic: is logic a normative or a theoretical discipline? Relatedly: what is the connection between logical norms and logical truths? Husserl argues that logic is a theoretical discipline and that logical truths ground logical norms. In order to understand and evaluate this view, it is compared with Bolzano’s account of the grounds of moral truths.