'in and of itself'

[nq:1]Is there any logic to the expression 'in and of itself', or is it just an idiom?[/nq]
It's a slightly more emphatic form of "in itself" (the extra few syllables give you time to gather your thoughts). And "in itself" is a more natural and direct way to say "inherently."
"It is not, in and of itself, a solution to all our problems, but it could be used for..."
You asked for "logic

[nq:1]Is there any logic to the expression 'in and of itself', or is it just an idiom?[/nq]
If "In itself ..." is meaningful AND "of itself..." is meaningful, then a meaningful phrase can be constructed in the form "In and of itself." Which seems logical.

John Dean
Oxford

[nq:1]If "In itself ..." is meaningful AND "of itself..." is meaningful, then a meaningful phrase can be constructed in the form "In and of itself."[/nq]
But I don't understand what 'of itself' means.

[nq:2]Is there any logic to the expression 'in and of itself', or is it just an idiom?[/nq]
[nq:1]It's a slightly more emphatic form of "in itself" (the extra few syllables give you time to gather your thoughts). ... a solution to all our problems, but it could be used for..." You asked for "logic" is that logic?[/nq]
It would work only if you could separate "in" and "of" and use each alon

[nq:2]If "In itself ..." is meaningful AND "of itself..." is meaningful, then a meaningful phrase can be constructed in the form "In and of itself."[/nq]
[nq:1]But I don't understand what 'of itself' means.[/nq]
Then "in and of itself" is meaningless to you.

John Dean
Oxford