Qualitative models of rationality: Philosophical foundations and applications. This project aims to establish the qualitative approach to rationality as a viable and attractive choice. Mathematical models of rationality, which aim to formalise the rules of good reasoning and decision making, traditionally assume that beliefs and desires are always given in precise, quantifiable degrees of confidence and value. This assumption is implausibly strong, and alternative, qualitative frameworks have be ....Qualitative models of rationality: Philosophical foundations and applications. This project aims to establish the qualitative approach to rationality as a viable and attractive choice. Mathematical models of rationality, which aim to formalise the rules of good reasoning and decision making, traditionally assume that beliefs and desires are always given in precise, quantifiable degrees of confidence and value. This assumption is implausibly strong, and alternative, qualitative frameworks have been developed to handle the frequent situations in which it fails. These, however, remain incomplete and their foundations poorly understood. The project will address their omissions, secure their conceptual underpinnings and use them to clarify and resolve long-standing philosophical problems.Read moreRead less
The One and the Many - the Path Through Contradiction. Australia has a major presence on the international philosophical world out of all proportion to its size (comparable to that which it has in sport). It is known for its development of radical new ideas and forthright approaches. One area in which this is particularly the case is logic and its philosophical applications. The present project is a high profile example of this, and will further enhance Australia's international intellectual p ....The One and the Many - the Path Through Contradiction. Australia has a major presence on the international philosophical world out of all proportion to its size (comparable to that which it has in sport). It is known for its development of radical new ideas and forthright approaches. One area in which this is particularly the case is logic and its philosophical applications. The present project is a high profile example of this, and will further enhance Australia's international intellectual profile.Read moreRead less
An Exploration of the Ramifications of the Re-conceptualization of Entailment. By revamping the field of deductive logic, the project will enhance the already solid international reputation Australia has in this area. The level of innovation in the work would set an example to other researchers and help to promote innovation in Australia. The project will provide more meaningful and accurate applications of logic in computer science, philosophy and mathematics, and engender smarter use of inform ....An Exploration of the Ramifications of the Re-conceptualization of Entailment. By revamping the field of deductive logic, the project will enhance the already solid international reputation Australia has in this area. The level of innovation in the work would set an example to other researchers and help to promote innovation in Australia. The project will provide more meaningful and accurate applications of logic in computer science, philosophy and mathematics, and engender smarter use of information. There would also be benefits to the teaching of logic in Australia, with the development of sharper analytical skills in students, and the project would lay the groundwork for a textbook on the new logic.Read moreRead less
Substructural logics for limited resources. This project aims to develop logical tools for managing reasoning and computation under conditions of bounded resources: fixed limits on the amount of time, memory, or other resources that can be allocated to a particular course of reasoning or computation. By drawing on both philosophical and computational approaches to logic, the project will develop new logical systems aimed at capturing these limitations. The expected outcome is new logical methods ....Substructural logics for limited resources. This project aims to develop logical tools for managing reasoning and computation under conditions of bounded resources: fixed limits on the amount of time, memory, or other resources that can be allocated to a particular course of reasoning or computation. By drawing on both philosophical and computational approaches to logic, the project will develop new logical systems aimed at capturing these limitations. The expected outcome is new logical methods for managing limited resources, as well as boosting interdisciplinary capacity. Anticipated benefits include developing a new programming language that will enable programmers to issue strong guarantees about the resources their programs will use.Read moreRead less
Semantics, externalism and a priori truths. This project aims to discover more about the logical roots of a priori knowledge. Pure mathematicians and logicians discover truths which are not justified by inference from observations; philosophers traditionally have aspired to do likewise. Yet little is understood about what makes a priori knowledge possible. There is a growing branch of logic which studies what is known as "double indexing" and this promises to throw light on the a priori. Austral ....Semantics, externalism and a priori truths. This project aims to discover more about the logical roots of a priori knowledge. Pure mathematicians and logicians discover truths which are not justified by inference from observations; philosophers traditionally have aspired to do likewise. Yet little is understood about what makes a priori knowledge possible. There is a growing branch of logic which studies what is known as "double indexing" and this promises to throw light on the a priori. Australian philosophers have played a very salient role in the study of double indexing, and this project is well placed to make significant contributions in this area.Read moreRead less
Logical Theory and Sentence Composition -- A General and Comparative Study of the Principal Sentential Connectives. The aims are to get clear about the semantic and logical properties of
the basic sentence connectives, and to adjudicate several debates on
these matters. The significance is that the logic of sentence
connectives is fundamental for the whole of logic. The expected aim is a large book - probably to be called *The Connectives* - in which all of this is set out.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102543
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Models of paradox in non-classical mereotopology. Logical paradoxes have beset our best philosophical theories for millennia. In the strong tradition of Australian philosophical logic, this project will test the hypothesis that paradoxes are conceptual boundaries. Mathematical models provide a formal explanatory picture, telling us why there are logical paradoxes at all.
Options For Proofs: New Perspectives on Propositional Logic. Philosophers and logicians recognise that proof is important, but they do not agree on what proofs are. Recent research in logic has greatly expanded our notion of proof, but this research is not unified. We need a coherent, general and applicable concept of proof. This project will unify the literature on proof and bring these insights to bear in the philosophy of language. It will show how proof can help analyse many features of ....Options For Proofs: New Perspectives on Propositional Logic. Philosophers and logicians recognise that proof is important, but they do not agree on what proofs are. Recent research in logic has greatly expanded our notion of proof, but this research is not unified. We need a coherent, general and applicable concept of proof. This project will unify the literature on proof and bring these insights to bear in the philosophy of language. It will show how proof can help analyse many features of language (more than just logical constants) but that the role of inference does not justify one kind of proof in preference to others.Read moreRead less
Rules in Logic. Logic is a foundational discipline which supports work in philosophy and other intellectual fields. Communities and nations are enriched by research in logic even if there are no direct economic benefits. But, in Australia, which has been a world-leader in philosophical logic for the past thirty years, there are also more direct benefits. Continued foundational research in logic attracts international students to Australia, and enhances the international reputation of Australian ....Rules in Logic. Logic is a foundational discipline which supports work in philosophy and other intellectual fields. Communities and nations are enriched by research in logic even if there are no direct economic benefits. But, in Australia, which has been a world-leader in philosophical logic for the past thirty years, there are also more direct benefits. Continued foundational research in logic attracts international students to Australia, and enhances the international reputation of Australian universities. This research will contribute significantly to Australia's reputation for fundamental logical research.Read moreRead less
Paraconsistent Foundations of Mathematics. In the English-speaking world, Australia is already the most prominent centre for paraconsistent research, known for development of radical new ideas advanced here in the last few decades. The program is ready to mature into its next phase, making important and lasting contributions to logic, philosophy, and mathematics. The Australian academy will derive international recognition for impressive new mathematics, and innovative philosophical explanations ....Paraconsistent Foundations of Mathematics. In the English-speaking world, Australia is already the most prominent centre for paraconsistent research, known for development of radical new ideas advanced here in the last few decades. The program is ready to mature into its next phase, making important and lasting contributions to logic, philosophy, and mathematics. The Australian academy will derive international recognition for impressive new mathematics, and innovative philosophical explanations of truth and proof. Read moreRead less