Logic and Information

by Keith Devlin

Overview

In this provocative and ground-breaking book, Keith Devlin argues that in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of intelligence and knowledge acquisition, we must broaden our concept of logic. Classical logic, beginning with the work of Aristotle, has developed into a powerful and rigorous mathematical theory with many applications in mathematics and computer science, but it has proved woefully inadequate in the search for artificial intelligence. The new kind of logic, also mathematically based, outlined by Professor Devlin is the culmination of collaborative research among some of the world's leading logicians, philosophers, linguists, psychologists, and computer scientists. It introduces the concepts of infon, a quantum of information, and situations, a dynamical generalization of sets, and is capable of handlng the issues involved in human communication, thought, speech, and machine information processing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521410304
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/27/1991
Series:	Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science (Hardcover)
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.37(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

Hometown:

Palo Alto, California

Date of Birth:

March 16, 1947

Place of Birth:

Hull, England

Education:

B.S., King's College, London, 1968; Ph.D., University of Bristol, 1971

Table of Contents

1. Logic; 2. Information; 3. Situation theory; 4. Meaning and constraints; 5. Some logical issues; 6. Mental states; 7. Perception and action; 8. Situation semantics; 9. Topics in situation semantics; 10. Historical perspectives and future directions.

Editorial Reviews

"A bold effort to restore logic as the science of 'reasoning, thinking, and inference'....Devlin writes with uncommon clarity for an interdisciplinary audience of linguists, computer scientists, philosophers, and mathematicians." The American Mathematical Monthly

"Mathematically oriented readers interested in artificial intelligence and human cognition should be able to get new ideas from this well-written book." P. Jouvelot, Computing Reviews

"The ideas in this fascinating, challenging, but speculative, book are set forth with clarity and wit that does them justice." D.V. Feldman, Choice

"The ideas in this fascinating, challenging, but speculative, book are set forth with clarity and wit that does them justice." D.V. Feldman, Choice

"Mathematically oriented readers interested in artificial intelligence and human cognition should be able to get new ideas from this well-written book." P. Jouvelot, Computing Reviews

"...In Keith Devlin's work, however, regardless of which of these prognoses one favours, situation theory has found an able expositor. He has written a very good book indeed, which is bound to become a standard reference in the field." Neil Tennant, Philosophia Mathematica

From the Publisher