Arguments and augury

Overreliance on formalism

1. Overreliance on formalism

Analytic philosophy leans into logic and formal approaches more than continental philosophy, lending it an (often superficial) aura of clarity, precision, and rigor. For all the advantages this provides, one downside is that those who engage with analytic philosophy often develop a pathological insistence that one present their arguments in the form of syllogisms, or to otherwise simplify and formalize one’s reasons for holding a view into a cluster of premises, with the conclusion being the view in question.

Such requests have a place. If someone is attempting to present an argument, and its structure is unclear, asking them to formalize it is a good exercise both for the person presenting the argument and anyone evaluating it. It can be a useful exercise for organizing your thoughts, or packing your position into a digestible form.

Yet I don’t think I’ve ever encountered an argument in simple syllogistic form that, on viewing it, moved me to endorse the con…