A lecture hosted jointly by CEU and the ELTE Theoretical Philosophy Forum, Alexander V. Tyaglo (Department of Philosophy and Political Science, National University of Internal Affairs, Kharkiv ) Is informal logic a manifestation of new logical and philosophical paradigm? 10 March (Wednesday) 5:00 PM. ELTE, Budapest, Muzeum krt. 4/i, Room 226 Note that this lecture will take place at ELTE. Address and map with directions are here http://philosophy.elte.hu/tpf/info.html#location Abstract: I would like to start with the basic attempt of traditional logic and epistemology to find an "absolute weapon of cognition", e.g. like Leibniz' scientia universalis. This fundamental approach was rejected finally in the 20th century only - due to Popper and a few other thinkers. In human rational sphere there is neither ideal knowledge ("absolute truth") nor ideal way of cognition (the "absolute weapon"). What comes after this simple but fundamental statement? First of all, special emphasis on different mistakes, both paralogisms and sophisms: they are immanent features of human knowledge; therefore we have to study these errors as well as how to fight these deeply and systematically (e.g., an infinite task is to complete a theoretical classification of errors). Second, "end of deductivism" and transition to some different way of thinking with accent on probability. In context of this general shift it seems reasonable to study non-demonstrative argument as a basic norm, and methods to evaluate its soundness (while deductive argument appears as a simplification only). I will address this last issue in my talk in detail.