A Computational Solution to the Problem of Reference. This project will attack the core problem of philosophy of language by developing and applying tools from the theory of algorithmic complexity. Groundbreaking pure research at the intersection of logic, language, information and computation is the lifeblood of commercial research and development in information technology and telecommunications. The project will foster a cross-fertilisation of ideas between philosophy, computer science, math ....A Computational Solution to the Problem of Reference. This project will attack the core problem of philosophy of language by developing and applying tools from the theory of algorithmic complexity. Groundbreaking pure research at the intersection of logic, language, information and computation is the lifeblood of commercial research and development in information technology and telecommunications. The project will foster a cross-fertilisation of ideas between philosophy, computer science, mathematics, linguistics and psychology, and will provide students with skills and analytic techniques that will be valuable in future pure and applied research.Read moreRead less
A Paraconsistent Approach to Vagueness. This project will utilise logical techniques that have been developed largely by Australian logicians. This techniques will be brought to bear on the problem of vagueness, one of the most important problems in the philosophy of logic. The project will thus greatly enhance Australia's already strong international reputation in logic and philosophical logic.
The geometry of impossible, or contradictory objects and its applications to computing and cognition. The principal aim is pure research, the increase of knowledge within the Theory of Inconsistency and particularly its mathematical aspects, to be available to the national and world community. Additionally, a new stock of hitherto-unseen images (still, moving and three-dimensional) will be constructed in a virtual reality environment. In addition to enhancing Australia's strong reputation in log ....The geometry of impossible, or contradictory objects and its applications to computing and cognition. The principal aim is pure research, the increase of knowledge within the Theory of Inconsistency and particularly its mathematical aspects, to be available to the national and world community. Additionally, a new stock of hitherto-unseen images (still, moving and three-dimensional) will be constructed in a virtual reality environment. In addition to enhancing Australia's strong reputation in logic, there are spin-offs for mathematics, cognitive science, computer studies, and the arts and entertainment industries.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
Idealism, Pragmatism, and the Historical Norms of Rationality. This project engages critically with the remarkable "normative pragmatics" of Robert Brandom, essentially the first analytic philosopher in a century to defend Hegel's "logic" from a modern logical perspective. It develops Brandom's suggested "inferentialist" interpretation of Hegel, but shows how a presupposition distorts both Brandom's reading of Hegel and his substantive account of the norms of reason. A corrective is developed on ....Idealism, Pragmatism, and the Historical Norms of Rationality. This project engages critically with the remarkable "normative pragmatics" of Robert Brandom, essentially the first analytic philosopher in a century to defend Hegel's "logic" from a modern logical perspective. It develops Brandom's suggested "inferentialist" interpretation of Hegel, but shows how a presupposition distorts both Brandom's reading of Hegel and his substantive account of the norms of reason. A corrective is developed on the basis of the later work of Brandom's mentor, Wilfrid Sellars. The corrected account shows how the norms of thought need not be eternal to be rational, but rather, are rational because of the way they are historical.Read moreRead less
The Logical Theories of Robert Kilwardby. The project is to produce a monograph on the logical theories of Robert Kilwardby (d. 1279) as they are expounded in his commentary on Aristotle's Prior Analytics, analyzing them from the perspective of modern logic. Kilwardby's commentary - which has not been critically edited, translated, or extensively studied - is remarkable for its fidelity to Aristotle's text, and its innovations in logical theory. This forms part of a larger project jointly with D ....The Logical Theories of Robert Kilwardby. The project is to produce a monograph on the logical theories of Robert Kilwardby (d. 1279) as they are expounded in his commentary on Aristotle's Prior Analytics, analyzing them from the perspective of modern logic. Kilwardby's commentary - which has not been critically edited, translated, or extensively studied - is remarkable for its fidelity to Aristotle's text, and its innovations in logical theory. This forms part of a larger project jointly with Dr Henrik Lagerlund (Uppsala University), to do a critical edition, historical introduction, and English translation of Kilwardby's commentary, together with the present logical analysis.Read moreRead less
Aristotle's Categories in the Byzantine, Arabic and Latin Traditions. High quality pure research is of national benefit because it adds to the depth of national culture and because it enhances our national profile overseas. When it involves collaboration with leading scholars at leading international universities, the enhancement is even greater. To understand the great religions that form part of our national identity, and their influence on philosophical thought, is of national benefit because ....Aristotle's Categories in the Byzantine, Arabic and Latin Traditions. High quality pure research is of national benefit because it adds to the depth of national culture and because it enhances our national profile overseas. When it involves collaboration with leading scholars at leading international universities, the enhancement is even greater. To understand the great religions that form part of our national identity, and their influence on philosophical thought, is of national benefit because it helps understand our place in today's world.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.
The logical and metaphysical challenge of vague language. Where do we draw the line between life and death, tall and short, right and wrong? The vagueness or indeterminacy of such concepts prohibits easy answers. This projects aims to provide a philosophical analysis of such concepts which abound in natural language with a view to showing that orthodox views in logic and metaphysics are challenged by their presence. This analysis is to be published as a monograph whose significance lies in the f ....The logical and metaphysical challenge of vague language. Where do we draw the line between life and death, tall and short, right and wrong? The vagueness or indeterminacy of such concepts prohibits easy answers. This projects aims to provide a philosophical analysis of such concepts which abound in natural language with a view to showing that orthodox views in logic and metaphysics are challenged by their presence. This analysis is to be published as a monograph whose significance lies in the fact that it provides one of only four book-length treatments of the matter and does so from an entirely novel perspective.Read moreRead less