In logic and philosophy, arguments that are indirect are called "Reductio ad absurdum" in Latin. Now the question is, what exactly is the argument that is direct, called in Latin?
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Strictly speaking, reductio ad absurdum doesn't refer to any sort of indirect proof, but specifically to a proof by contradiction. (Unless that's what "indirect" means in philosophy?)– Draconis ♦Jul 19 at 16:48
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1I'm not sure this is even the best place for this question. This might be better on the philosophy stack, since it's asking about a specific philosophy term. Thoughts, @Draconis?– cmw ♦Jul 19 at 17:09
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@cmw I was on the fence, but I think it fits better here because we have a long history of answering questions about Latin terminology in various fields (medicine, law, etc).– Draconis ♦Jul 19 at 17:29
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1Can you define what you mean by direct and indirect proof and why reductio ad absurdum is right term for indirect argument?– cmw ♦Jul 20 at 0:50
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@cmw If I were to write about modern mathematics (including mathematical logic) in Latin, I wouldn't use reductio ad absurdum for indirect proof. Instead, I'd go with demonstratio recta/obliqua. I have no clue whether these are attested. In the context of mathematics the answer might be different than in philosophy.– Joonas Ilmavirta ♦Jul 20 at 19:55
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1 Answer
Even with a background in mathematical logic, I have never heard of an "indirect proof", so this answer may not be what you are looking for, but reductio ad rationem and reductio ad sensum are two attested Latin locutions in academic contexts (especially in Italian, it seems).
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1Can you expand on this at all? Why are those terms used for "direct arguments"? How can you be confident in suggesting them if you're not sure what indirect and direct arguments are? Or are you only unsure of the indirect proof? Is there a difference between proof and argument?– cmw ♦Jul 20 at 0:49