Truth, American Culture, and Fuzzy Logic

This paper examines the history, relationships, and influences that act between concepts of truth, American culture, and fuzzy logic. We see that postmodernism is largely a reaction against the Western overemphasis on crisp mathematics. This overemphasis started with ancient Greece, but became solidified in Western culture with the Renaissance. At first glance, fuzzy logic seems to tie in nicely with postmodernism. But a closer look reveals that fuzzy logic is actually more similar to modernism, because it is based on rigorous mathematics. However, fuzzy logic does make some concessions to postmodernism by acknowledging the possibility of ambiguity, at least to some extent. Fuzzy logic therefore provides a balance in the cultural war between modernism and postmodernism. In order for fuzzy logic to take advantage of this unique position, the fuzzy logic community needs to pursue three objectives: (1) it must acknowledge its own limitations and avoid overselling itself; (2) it must develop a wider perspective on its role in modern-day culture; and (3) it must be more proactive in defining its role.