Free logic - i.e., logic free of existential presuppositions in general
and with respect to singular terms in particular- began to come into its
own as a field of research in the 1950s. As is the case with so many
developments in Western philosophy, its roots can be traced back to
ancient Greek philo- sophy. It is only during the last fifty years,
however, that it has become well established as a branch of modern
logic. The name of Karel Lambert is most closely connected with this
development: he gave it its name and its profile as a well defined field
of research. After a development of fifty years, it is time to look back
and take stock while at the same time scanning for new perspectives.
This is the purpose of the papers collected in this volume. The first
paper is written by Karel Lambert himself who also comments on all the
papers of the other authors. In an introductory essay we give a survey
of the present status of and new directions in free logic.