Universal Logic, Ethics, and Truth: Essays in Honor of John Corcoran (1937-2021)

John Corcoran was a very well-known logician who worked on several areas of logic. He produced decisive works giving a better understanding of two major figures in the history of logic, Aristotle and Boole. Corcoran had a close association with Alfred Tarski, a prominent 20th-century logician. This collaboration manifested in Corcoran’s substantial introduction to Tarski’s seminal book, Logic, Semantics, Metamathematics (1956). Additionally, Corcoran’s posthumous editorial involvement in ’What are logical notions?’ (1986) breathed new life into this seminal paper authored by Tarski. His scholarly pursuits extended to the intricate explication of fundamental concepts in modern logic, including variables, propositions, truth, consequences, and categoricity. Corcoran’s academic curiosity extended further to the intersection of ethics and logic, reflecting his contemplation of their interrelation. Beyond these theoretical contributions, Corcoran was deeply engaged in the pedagogical dimensions of logic instruction.

This volume serves as a compilation of articles contributed by Corcoran’s students, colleagues, and international peers. By encompassing a diverse range of subjects, this collection aptly mirrors Corcoran’s wide-ranging interests, offering insights that not only deepen our understanding of his work but also advance the theoretical frameworks he explored.

Timothy J. Madigan is Professor and Chair of Philosophy at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York. He is the author, co-author, and editor of several books, including, with Tim Delaney, Beyond Sustainability: A Thriving Environment, McFarland & Co., 2014, Winner of a Choice Award for Outstanding Academic Title for 2022, co-edited with Peter Stone, Bertrand Russell: Public Intellectual, Tiger Bark P., 2016, with Tim Delaney, Friendship and Happiness and the Connection Between Them, McFarland & Co., 2017, with Tim Delaney, Lessons Learned from Popular Culture, Suny Press, 2016, with Tim Delaney, The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction, McFarland & Co., 2015, co-edited with David B. Suits, Lucretius: His Continuing Influence and Contemporary Relevance, RIT Press, 2011, W. K. Clifford and ＂The Ethics of Belief.＂, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009. Madigan’s areas of interest include Medical Ethics, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, and Popular Culture and Philosophy. He is a Fellow of the University at Buffalo’s Romanell Center for Clinical Ethics and the Philosophy of Medicine, a Board Member and Past President of the Northeast Popular Culture Association, and a Board Member and Past President of the Bertrand Russell Society. John Corcoran was a member of Madigan’s dissertation committee, as well as a mentor and friend.

Jean-Yves Béziau is a Swiss Logician, Philosopher and Mathematician, PhD in mathematics and PhD in Philosophy. He has been living and working in different places: France, Brazil, Poland, Corsica, California (UCLA, Stanford, UCSD), Switzerland. He is currently Professor at the University of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, former Director of Graduate Studies in Philosophy and former President of the Brazilian Academy of Philosophy. He is the creator of the World Logic Day, yearly celebrated on January 14 (UNESCO international days), the World Logic Prizes Contest, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Logica Universalis and South American Journal of Logic, the book series Logic PhDs, Studies in Universal Logic and area logic editor of the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. He has published about 200 research papers and 30 edited books and Special Issues of Journals.