Why Rozenzweig-Style Midrashic Approach Makes Rational Sense: A Logical (Spinoza-Like) Explanation Of A Seemingly Non-Logical Approach

Authors

Olga Kosheleva, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Vladik Kreinovich, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow

Publication Date

9-2013

Comments

Technical Report: UTEP-CS-13-60

Abstract

A 20 century German Jewish philosopher Franz Rosenzweig promoted a new approach to knowledge, an approach in which in addition to logical reasoning, coming up with stories with imagined additional details is also important. This approach is known as midrashic since it is similar to the use of similar stories -- known as midrashes -- in Judaism. While stories can make the material interesting, traditionally, such stories are not viewed as a serious part of scientific discovery. In this paper, we show that this seemingly non-logical approach can actually be explained in logical terms and thus, makes perfect rational sense.