Symbolic logic

Symbolic logic is a study of information and its representation in a range of forms. Because information and representation are so widespread, logic is a rich and rewarding field with strong connections to philosophy, mathematics, computer science, linguistics, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence. By pursuing their study at an abstract level, symbolic logicians produce results that can be applied to many of these disciplines simultaneously. Logic is particularly useful for teasing apart subtle differences between representations.

This unit will introduce you to symbolic logic, and to some of the central tools in logical work: formal proof systems, models, consequence relations, and relations among these. We will consider different ways of doing logic, and think about strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Although our study will be primarily abstract, we will explore motivating examples from a range of different applications. No background in philosophy is required or assumed