The Relationship between Formal and Informal Logic: A Theoretical Analysis

Abstract

The distinction between formal and informal logic raises the question of the theoretical grounds for differentiating the respective approaches to the study of rational reasoning and the possibilities for relating them to one another. Purpose. The study aims to provide a theoretical analysis of the relationship between formal and informal logic, to clarify the grounds for distinguishing between them, and to determine the nature of their interrelationship. Methods. The study employs conceptual and comparative analysis. Conceptual analysis is used to reconstruct theoretical positions and identify analytically significant characteristics of rational reasoning. Comparative analysis is conducted at two levels: in terms of the characteristics of the formal and informal approaches and the analytical tasks they perform. Results. The distinction between the formal and informal approaches is shown to be multidimensional. Their specific features are identified according to four parameters: subject-matter, linguistic-representational, methodological, and normative, which concern the focus of the study of reasoning, the ways in which it is represented, the means of analysis, and the grounds for its evaluation. Functional comparison is conducted in terms of three analytical functions: reconstructive, inferential, and evaluative. The findings show that the formal and informal approaches can perform common analytical tasks while addressing different characteristics of reasoning and employing different analytical means. Their relationship is therefore conceptualized as functional complementarity, understood as the possibility of relating different ways of performing common analytical functions while preserving the specificity of each approach. Conclusions. The relationship between formal and informal logic can be understood in terms of their distinctive analytical contributions to the study of rational reasoning. The possibility of relating the respective approaches depends on the characteristics of the reasoning under investigation and the specific analytical task.