Again, the answer
will depend upon who is asked. Logic as we study it has nothing
to do with scale. An inference remains preserved no matter how
many people make it, or study it, for that matter. But this
reflects the universalistic viewpoint. Once we question the
constitution of logic itself, and trace it to practical
experiences resulting in the awareness of connections, it
becomes less obvious that logic is independent of scale.
Actually, some experiences are not even possible without having
reached a critical mass, and the relation between simple and
complex is not one of progression. But it is certainly a
multi-valued relation, granted with elements of progression.
The practical experience of a tribe (in Africa, North America,
or South America) is defined at the scale of relations inside
the tribe, and between the tribe and the relatively limited
environment of existence. The logic (or pre-logic, to adapt the
jargon of some anthropologists) specific to this scale
corresponds to the dominance of instincts and intuitions, and is
expressed within the visually dominant means of expression and
communication characteristic of what is called the primitive
mentality. From all we know, memory plays a major role in
shaping patterns of activity. The power of discrimination
(through vision, hearing, smell, etc.) is extraordinary;
adaptability is much higher than that of humans in modern
societies.
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