Leslie Armour
Encyclopedia
Leslie Armour is a Canadian-born philosopher and writer on social economics. He is the father of the cellist and impresario
Julian Armour
.
at the University of British Columbia
in 1952 and a PhD
at the University of London
in 1956. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Research Professor of Philosophy at the Dominican University College
, Ottawa
, Adjunct Professor of Philosophical Theology at St. Paul University, and Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Ottawa
. He has taught at universities in Montana, California, and Ohio. Since 2004 he has been editor of the International Journal of Social Economics His current areas of study include metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy, and philosophical underpinnings of economics and "he is a pioneer in publishing early Canadian philosophy and has philosophical publications in metaphysics, religion, law, politics and economics". Armour has contributed significantly to the interdisciplinary school of Canadian Studies
.
He has authored nine books (three with co-authors), more than seventy chapters in books and a hundred articles in scholarly journals He is also a frequent speaker at conferences on economics, religious studies and French and German philosophy. There is a bibliography to 2001 and extensive commentaries on Armour's work in William Sweet's Idealism, Metaphysics, and Community.
Armour has also published some 200 papers in learned journals and chapters in books.
Armour's most recent book was written in partnership with Richard Feist, Inference and Persuasion: An Introduction to Logic and Critical Reasoning (2005) is written so as to be accessible to all audiences and is concerned with the problems associated with logic, offering suggestions rather than solutions, for as Armour states nothing is certain. This book is about the process of assigning meaning, making rules, beliefs, and the correlation between belief and action. Especially how these are misunderstood, corrupted and blocked so that we are robbed of our freedom. The authors argue that reason and experience are both important to logic, and logic is important because it allows for understanding and survival.
Inference is described as the beliefs and judgments that create rules. Inference and rule are tools that we use for freedom, we think for ourselves and draw our own conclusions, knowledge permits freedom to act. Yet the way inferences are drawn is subject to the influence of logicians, such as Aristotle, and their language. Aristotle's focus on class inclusion and exclusion highlight the limits of the language of logics, this idea of classification is problematic as it ignores things not included in a class and the fact that the meanings of classes is not clear. "Trying to lay out axioms or rules in advance... will always lead to limitations" because "imposing systems on our thinking seems to bring limits into play".
In examining John Dewey's logic (Chapter Four) the notion that reason and experience are interconnected is evident, logic is concerned with the 'human world', which is not the 'world in itself'. Thinking has a purpose, it is a problem solving tool, an attempt to make experience coherent.
The authors go through previous theories and thoughts on logic and add interesting and thought provoking ideas. They note the tensions between experience and logic, the biases associated with reasoning, the importance of context. In "Logic and Morality" it is argued that our biases inform how we form our understanding and facts. How we reason about what to do is based on practicality which is based on our values. In "Logic and Politics" we see the notion of classes, as assembled from members, as individualist with community interests ignored. The authors suggest we must understand the world through relationships, individuals only exist in context, such as social contexts. Logic has the tendency to either ignore social realities or create individualist societies.
Concluding their text with the limits set by the rules of logic it is stated that the ultimate reason for caution in using logic is that, "One should not let one's choice of logic impose restrictions on one's freedom - provided of course that one can see rational alternatives. Where that line is drawn readers must decide for themselves"
Impresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
Julian Armour
Julian Armour
Julian Armour, MSM is a Canadian cellist and artistic director. Armour is married to violist Guylaine Lemaire. He is the son of the philosopher Leslie Armour.-Early life and education:...
.
Academic career
Armour completed a BABachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
in 1952 and a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
in 1956. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Research Professor of Philosophy at the Dominican University College
Dominican University College
The Dominican University College is a bilingual Roman Catholic university in Ottawa, Ontario, offering civil and pontifical bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in philosophy and theology...
, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Adjunct Professor of Philosophical Theology at St. Paul University, and Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
. He has taught at universities in Montana, California, and Ohio. Since 2004 he has been editor of the International Journal of Social Economics His current areas of study include metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy, and philosophical underpinnings of economics and "he is a pioneer in publishing early Canadian philosophy and has philosophical publications in metaphysics, religion, law, politics and economics". Armour has contributed significantly to the interdisciplinary school of Canadian Studies
Canadian Studies
Canadian Studies is a Collegiate study of Canadian culture, Canadian languages, literature, Quebec, agriculture, history, and their government and politics. Most universities recommend that students take a double major and French, if not included in the course...
.
He has authored nine books (three with co-authors), more than seventy chapters in books and a hundred articles in scholarly journals He is also a frequent speaker at conferences on economics, religious studies and French and German philosophy. There is a bibliography to 2001 and extensive commentaries on Armour's work in William Sweet's Idealism, Metaphysics, and Community.
Accomplishments
Armour was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in August 1998, which recognized his significant contribution to research and scholarly work.Publications
- The Rational and the Real, Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, 1962.
- The Concept of Truth, Royal Van Gorcum, Assen, and The Humanities Press, New York, 1969.
- Logic and Reality, Royal Van Gorcum, Assen, and the Humanities Press, Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, 1972.
- The Conceptualization of the Inner Life', (with E. T. Bartlett III) The Humanities Press, Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, 1980.
- The Faces of Reason: Philosophy in English Canada, 1850–1950, (with Elizabeth Trott), Wilfrid Laurier University Press, Waterloo, Ontario, 1981. (Distributed in the United States by Humanities Press, Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey) Reprinted 1995.
- The Idea of Canada and the Crisis of Community, Steel Rail, Ottawa, 1981 (Distributed by Humanities Press, Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey).
- Edited, annotated and wrote introduction for, with Elizabeth Trott: John Clark Murray, The Industrial Kingdom of God, University of Ottawa Press, Ottawa, The University Press, 1982.
- Being and Idea, Developments of Some Themes in Spinoza and Hegel, Georg Olms, Hildesheim, Germany, 1992.
- Infini-Rien: Pascal's Wager and the Human Paradox, Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press for the Journal of the History of Philosophy (Journal of the History of Philosophy Monograph Series), 1993.
- Inference & Persuasion (with Richard Feist), Halifax: Fernwood, 2006.
Armour has also published some 200 papers in learned journals and chapters in books.
Armour's most recent book was written in partnership with Richard Feist, Inference and Persuasion: An Introduction to Logic and Critical Reasoning (2005) is written so as to be accessible to all audiences and is concerned with the problems associated with logic, offering suggestions rather than solutions, for as Armour states nothing is certain. This book is about the process of assigning meaning, making rules, beliefs, and the correlation between belief and action. Especially how these are misunderstood, corrupted and blocked so that we are robbed of our freedom. The authors argue that reason and experience are both important to logic, and logic is important because it allows for understanding and survival.
Inference is described as the beliefs and judgments that create rules. Inference and rule are tools that we use for freedom, we think for ourselves and draw our own conclusions, knowledge permits freedom to act. Yet the way inferences are drawn is subject to the influence of logicians, such as Aristotle, and their language. Aristotle's focus on class inclusion and exclusion highlight the limits of the language of logics, this idea of classification is problematic as it ignores things not included in a class and the fact that the meanings of classes is not clear. "Trying to lay out axioms or rules in advance... will always lead to limitations" because "imposing systems on our thinking seems to bring limits into play".
In examining John Dewey's logic (Chapter Four) the notion that reason and experience are interconnected is evident, logic is concerned with the 'human world', which is not the 'world in itself'. Thinking has a purpose, it is a problem solving tool, an attempt to make experience coherent.
The authors go through previous theories and thoughts on logic and add interesting and thought provoking ideas. They note the tensions between experience and logic, the biases associated with reasoning, the importance of context. In "Logic and Morality" it is argued that our biases inform how we form our understanding and facts. How we reason about what to do is based on practicality which is based on our values. In "Logic and Politics" we see the notion of classes, as assembled from members, as individualist with community interests ignored. The authors suggest we must understand the world through relationships, individuals only exist in context, such as social contexts. Logic has the tendency to either ignore social realities or create individualist societies.
Concluding their text with the limits set by the rules of logic it is stated that the ultimate reason for caution in using logic is that, "One should not let one's choice of logic impose restrictions on one's freedom - provided of course that one can see rational alternatives. Where that line is drawn readers must decide for themselves"
External links
- "Leslie Armour" Fernwood Publishing http://www.fernwoodpublishing.ca/author/186
- "Leslie Armour" Professor Emeritus, Department of Philosophy, University of Ottawa http://www.philosophy.uottawa.ca/faculty/armour.html
- "Armour, Leslie" The Canadian Encyclopedia http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0000309