What's more basic: first order logic or higher order logics?

Question

"Give reasons" goes without saying for most.

Answer 1

first order logic

Answer 2

Of course first order logic. He's the one who does all the operations that need to be done in order to expose the higher order logic, who in the mean time is waiting for that very moment. It's not a matter of basics, but a matter of strategy. The first order thinks he's controlling the situation yet in reality the higher order logic is controlling him and the situation; other wise he would've been the first to be exposed. When the higher order logic is exposed too quickly it is no longer logic, but a bunch of gibberish.

Answer 3

First order logic is more fundamental and all variations of higher logic systems are based on it. It's like math in the sense that math starts with the first four basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) and, behind the scenes there are some fundamental assumptions of what is true and what is not (axioms, if you will) that are not spelled out. This creates arithmetic.

Logic also starts with a set of axioms and a set of basic operations. That is called first order logic.

Answer 4

First order, of course. That's why it's first. It can even be proved consistent and complete, which is not true of arithmetic and geometry, for example. Look up Godel's Incompleteness Theorem.