J.A.F. Cuesta

In this commentary on Suárez’s recently published work (2025), I aim to retrieve an original argument hitherto unpublished – which I refer to as Suárez’s Paradox (Suárez, 1992) – together with the response he himself proposes. Drawing on both the paradox and the epistemological model proposed to resolve it, I argue that we are presented with a theoretical framework capable of enabling a philosophically significant approach to current debates on the interpretation of quantum logics. I conclude by assessing the value of this proposal not only in terms of its internal content but also considering its capacity to bridge two philosophical domains that, over recent decades, have largely evolved in isolation: the philosophy of logic and the philosophy of science.

Quantum logics are non-classical logics defined from the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics. While they are conventionally used to model inferential processes in physics, their scope of application is potentially much broader. We argue that quantum logics can serve as a framework to model human cognition, as their semantics seem able to capture not only how people make inferences about quantum mechanics, but also how they reason in general. We begin by defining quantum logics from an algebraic perspective in a classical first-order setting. Next, we present findings from cognitive science that suggest these logics are apt to characterize human reasoning. We then consider how such a connection between quantum logics and cognition contributes to longstanding philosophical debates about the epistemological status of logic and the problem of adoption. Finally, we discuss how cognitive applications of quantum logics could advance our understanding of human psychology and even quantum foundations.