The system of logic which is founded by Greek philosopher Aristotle has been known as Traditional Logic. So this system has also been referred as classical logic or Aristotelian Logic. Traditional Logic dominated the thinking of the western world till the middle of the nineteenth century. But in course of time, it has been realised that Aristotle's treatment though important covered only a small part of logic and demands further improvement and development. 

Symbolic logic has a short history but the traditional classical logic has a long one. Yet the difference between them is only that of different stages of development. Classical logic is related to symbolic logic as embryo to adult organism. Philosophical logicians, trained in the classical logic have sometimes criticised that symbolic logic is involved in misconceptions about the nature of logic. And symbolic logicians have sometimes criticised the defects of the traditional logic as though they were quile out moded.

But now it is agreed that modern symbolic logic is a development of concepts and techniques which was implicit in the work of Aristotle. The foundation of logic was so brilliantly and thoroughly laid by Aristotle in the fourth century B.C. that it seemed to most of Aristotle's successors to be a finished science. It is now realised that his treatment covered only a small branch of logic. Aristotle used variables restrictedly, but the use of variables in symbolic logic is much wider than this.