The Origin of Imaginary Logic

Aim. To identify prerequisites and background ideas that allowed the Russian scientist N. A. Vasiliev to develop one of the first systems of classical polysemy known as imaginary logic and to justify the poetic ideas of the Kazan thinker as heuristic clues that allowed overcoming the inertia of traditional logic and adapt it to the needs and requirements of cognition. Methodology. The study is based on the inductive generalization of facts of history and culture, the comparative historical method, general scientific methods of synthesis and analysis, the biographical principle, and the principle of transcendental unity of consciousness of an individual. Results. The author identified the position of poetic creativity in the formation of N. A. Vasiliev’s logical and socio-philosophical concept. The appeal to poetry allowed discovering the origin of social and philosophical views of Vasiliev. Symbolism, being a system of poetic thinking, is behind the ideas that urged Vasiliev to create the first non-classical multivalued numerical system. Research implications. Conclusions drawn in the article allow understanding the origin of N. A. Vasiliev’s discoveries and clarifying his creative biography.