Who is considered the father of logic?

• A. Plato
• B. Socrates
• C. Aristotle
• D. Descartes

Answer: (C)

Logic as a formal discipline is traced to Aristotle, who first organized reasoning into a coherent system—the syllogistic. He showed how conclusions can be drawn from two premises using a three-term structure, with a major term, a minor term, and a middle term connecting them. This gave a way to classify valid inferences and analyze why arguments work or fail. The Organon, his collection of works on logic, became the standard guide for deductive reasoning for centuries and shaped how philosophers and scientists think about argument.

Other thinkers contributed important ideas to related areas. Plato explored dialectic and the pursuit of ultimate truths, but not a formal theory of inference. Socrates refined the method of questioning to probe beliefs, yet did not develop a systematic logic. Descartes advanced methods of doubt and rationalist thinking, influencing modern philosophy, but he did not originate the formal theory of logic.

Because Aristotle created the first comprehensive, enduring theory of deductive reasoning, he is widely regarded as the father of logic. Later developments expanded beyond syllogisms, but his foundational work established the tradition.