2 - Back to the Roots of Deduction

Summary

In this chapter, it is argued that what is needed to make progress on the issues described in Chapter 1 is a ‘roots’ approach, i.e. going back to the roots of deduction. The distinction between phylogenetic, ontogenetic, and historical roots is introduced, and it is argued that all three perspectives must be taken into account. The chapter further briefly presents the four main senses in which deduction has dialogical roots treated in this book: philosophical roots, historical roots, cognitive roots, and with respect to mathematical practices.