Val (Routley) Plumwood: Work in Logic

Abstract

Val Plumwood (nee Morrell) is best known in the logic community for her work on relevant logics published jointly with Richard Sylvan. Together, as `"Val and Richard Routley", they worked at the center of the Canberra Logic Group from 1971 to 1981 before they divorced and changed names, whereupon Val shifted her focus to issues in environmental philosophy. Her writing in that latter field drew so much attention, in fact, that most people familiar with her philosophical work know her solely for contributions there and are quite often surprised to hear of her work in non-classical logic. While her ``fame as an environmental philosopher overshadowed her work in logic, this work included significant contributions to the emerging study of non-classical logics and relevant logics in particular. Like Sylvan, she later turned to applications of this non-classical thinking in other areas, eventually in areas traditionally deemed beyond the reach of logical innovation.