I—Wilfrid Hodges: A Sceptical Look
Wilfrid Hodges · Aristotelian Society Supplementary Volume · 2001
During the last forty or so years it has become popular to offer explanations of logical notions in terms of games. There is no doubt that many people find games helpful for understanding various logical phenomena. But we ask whether anything is really ‘explained’ by these accounts, and we analyse Paul Lorenzen's dialogue foundations for constructive logic as an example. The conclusion is that the value of games lies in their ability to provide helpful metaphors and representations, rather than in any true conceptual analysis. In fact some of the standard explanations of logical notions in terms of competitive games simply don't work.