Arabic logic, like the rest of medieval Arabic science and philosophy, is entirely Western and has nothing to do with Oriental philosophy. It developed wholly in the wake of the classical Greek tradition as preserved in and transmitted through late Greek Aristotelianism. The present account briefly traces the evolution of Arabic logic from its inception in the late eighth century to its stultification in the sixteenth century, mentioning only the most important trends, figures, and achievements. Information on individual writers can be found in Carl Brockelmann's monumental Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur, cited hereafter as GAL (2 vols.—I, II—Weimar, 1890; Berlin, 1902; 2nd ed., Leiden, 1943–1949; 3 supp. vols.—SI, SII, SIII—Leiden, 1937–1942).

Transmission of Greek Logic to the Arabs

After their conquest of Syria-Iraq the Arabs came into contact with Greek learning as it continued to be nursed by various Christian sects—primarily...