Paraconsistent

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to a system of logic designed to tolerate contradictions without collapsing into complete triviality ; pertaining to a formal reasoning approach where contradictory statements can coexist without entailing every proposition ; concerning a non-classical logical framework that rejects the principle that from a contradiction, anything follows
2. Associated with a type of logical theory that allows inconsistencies to be present while avoiding explosive inference ; referring to methods in logic that handle contradictory information without rendering all conclusions valid ; characteristic of an approach to reasoning that maintains meaningful discourse despite the presence of contradicting premises
3. Connected to logical systems that prevent the failure of inference when faced with contradictions ; describing a logic discipline that does not permit contradictions to imply all statements are true ; denoting a class of logical frameworks that accommodate contradictions while preserving useful inference rules

Etymology: The term was coined in 1976 by the Peruvian philosopher Francisco Miró Quesada, who needed a name for logical systems in which a contradiction does not make everything true. Classical logic follows the principle that from a contradiction anything at all can be derived, so a single inconsistent statement would wreck a theory. Miró Quesada's proposal was to build logics that tolerate such contradictions without collapse. The word is a straightforward compound: the Greek prefix "para-", meaning "beside" or "alongside", attached to "consistent". The prefix signals that these logics sit beside ordinary consistent logic rather than replacing it. Its root, "consistent", ultimately comes from Latin "consistere", "to stand firm", so the term literally describes logic that can stand alongside contradiction.

Synonyms: non-contradictory, inconsistent-tolerant

Antonyms: consistent, non-contradictory