Loglans

Loglans are a fictional philosophical and political movement described in speculative literature and role-playing games. They advocate the systematic use of formal logic to design institutions, draft laws, and resolve disputes. Proponents claim that logic-based governance can reduce ambiguity and inconsistency by requiring publicly verifiable premises and derivations for policy decisions. The name combines elements of logic and language, signaling the movement’s emphasis on precise expression and verifiability.

Origin and spread: The concept emerged in the early 22nd century within the city-state of Veridia and later in academic circles across several continents. In lore, Loglans influence municipal charters, parliamentary procedure, and courtroom practice through standardized logical frameworks.

Practice and methods: Core tools include formal languages called LogLangs and model-checking techniques; decision scripts codify goals, constraints, and allowed inference steps. Debates are framed as logical proofs; outcomes must be justifiable as a sequence of validated premises.

Variants and reception: A spectrum exists from “Hard Loglans,” who insist on strict formalism and machine-verifiable proofs, to “Soft Loglans,” who allow qualitative assessment alongside formal reasoning. Critics argue the approach can be rigid, technocratic, and slow in dynamic contexts, while supporters say it improves transparency and accountability.

In popular culture, Loglans appear as a paradigm for governance in novels, games, and simulations, often contrasted with more pragmatic or human-centered systems. See also Loglan, Lojban.