Whether or not the law of sufficient reason is a basic law of formal logic is a question that merits in-depth discussion. Back in the 1960s, when discussion was held on the object and function of formal logic, some comrades were of the opinion that formal logic should not be confined to the study of the form of thinking. One of their arguments was "the law of sufficient reason requires that the contents of the premise be true." Similarly, in the (...) discussion of the truthfulness and correctness of formal logic, some comrades also held that the correctness of the form of thinking and the truthfulness of its contents are a unity. Their opinion supposed that "it is one of the requirements of the law of sufficient reason that the reason must be true." All these discussions involved the nature of the law. Therefore the current discussion is a continuation and deepening of the previous discussions on logic. It involves not only the content of the law of sufficient reason as well as its role and position in formal logic, but also the object under the study of formal logic as a branch of science and the direction of its future development. Doubtlessly, the discussion of this issue bears major significance. (shrink)

Whether or not the principle of sufficient reason is a fundamental rule of formal logic is a question that merits serious discussion. In debates from as early as the 1960s, when discussing the subject and functions of formal logic, some comrades pointed out that formal logic cannot study just the forms of thought alone. One of their basic arguments was that "the principle of sufficient reason demands that the content of a premise must be true." In discussions concerning the truth (...) and validity of formal logic, some comrades likewise suggested that the validity of thought forms and the truth of their content were identical, their reason being that "one of the demands of the principle of sufficient reason is that a reason must be true." These discussions have already touched on the question of the nature of the principle of sufficient reason. Thus, this discussion now under way is a continuation and deepening of the past discussions on logic. Not only does it involve the content of the principle of sufficient reason and its role and function in formal logic, it also involves the object of study and the direction of the future development of this science, formal logic. The discussion of this problem is undoubtedly highly significant. (shrink)