Origins of logic in the West

Precursors of ancient logic

There was a medieval tradition according to which the Greek philosopher Parmenides (5th century BCE)
invented logic while living on a rock in Egypt. The story is pure legend, but it does reflect the fact that
Parmenides was the first philosopher to use an extended argument for his views rather than merely
proposing a vision of reality. But using arguments is not the same as studying them, and Parmenides
never systematically formulated or studied principles of argumentation in their own right. Indeed, there
is no evidence that he was even aware of the implicit rules of inference used in presenting his doctrine.

Perhaps Parmenides’ use of argument was inspired by the practice of early Greek mathematics among
the Pythagoreans. Thus, it is significant that Parmenides is reported to have had a Pythagorean teacher.
But the history of Pythagoreanism in this early period is shrouded in mystery, and it is hard to separate
fact from legend.