Interpolation in non-classical logics

We discuss the interpolation property on some important families of non classical logics, such as intuitionistic, modal, fuzzy, and linear logics. A special paragraph is devoted to a generalization of the interpolation property, uniform interpolation. Supported by PRIN project 2006/2007 ‘Large-scale development of certified mathematical proofs’.     

A program for the semantics of science

Concluding remarks Our program is ambitious, as is any attempt to match life (in our case real science) with virtue (e.g., exactness). We want our semantics to be not only simia mathematicae but also ancilla scientiae: built more geometrico and at the same time relevant, nay useful, to live science. The goal of exactness may sound arrogant but is actually modest, for the more we rigorize the more we are forced to leave out of consideration, at least for the time being. As to the service intention: we should try to be of some help to science because the latter faces semantic problems but has no tools of its own for solving them. If it had such tools scientists would not engage in spirited polemics over matters of sense and reference, as they often do. Witness the debates on whether the relativistic and quantum theories are concerned with sentient observers, whether population genetics refers to populations taken as wholes, whether psychology is actually concerned with the brain, and whether the sense of a theory is excreted by its mathematical formalism or is determined by the way the theory is tested.A semantics of science should help settle these and similar issues. Moreover it should give sound advice as to how to formulate scientific theories so as to avoid such imprecisions and ambiguities as may give rise to debates of the kind. Constructing such a semantics, both exact and relevant to science, should be more rewarding than either manufacturing neat but irrelevant theories or pursuing erratic polemics on meaning and meaning changes.

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The Craig Interpolation Theorem in abstract model theory

The Craig Interpolation Theorem is intimately connected with the emergence of abstract logic and continues to be the driving force of the field. I will argue in this paper that the interpolation property is an important litmus test in abstract model theory for identifying “natural,” robust extensions of first order logic. My argument is supported by the observation that logics which satisfy the interpolation property usually also satisfy a Lindström type maximality theorem. Admittedly, the range of such logics is small.     

Explanatory pluralism in cognitive science

This brief commentary has three goals. The first is to argue that "framework debate" in cognitive science is unresolvable. The idea that one theory or framework can singly account for the vast complexity and variety of cognitive processes seems unlikely if not impossible. The second goal is a consequence of this: We should consider how the various theories on offer work together in diverse contexts of investigation. A final goal is to supply a brief review for readers who are compelled by these points to explore existing literature on the topic. Despite this literature, pluralism has garnered very little attention from broader cognitive science. We end by briefly considering what it might mean for theoretical cognitive science.     

Integrating the ethical and social context of computing into the computer science curriculum

This paper describes the major components of ImpactCS, a program to develop strategies and curriculum materials for integrating social and ethical considerations into the computer science curriculum. It presents, in particular, the content recommendations of a subcommittee of ImpactCS; and it illustrates the interdisciplinary nature of the field, drawing upon concepts from computer science, sociology, philosophy, psychology, history and economics.     

Application of high-performance computing to the management of social science and demographic data

The costs of conducting censuses and surveys have always been high. Nonetheless, demographic, social, environmental, and health scientists have found it possible to gather quantities of data that far exceed the capabilities of any contemporary computing technology to extract fully the information contained in the data. Recent developments in computing and information science technology offer the promise of supporting innovative approaches to managing and analyzing data that can dramatically increase the ease of access to the information hidden within these data. This presentation describes a highly integrated system of data, metadata, instructional tutorials, hardware, and software designed to minimize the technical barriers to working with large and complex data sets. The objective is to provide easy, low-cost, fast, and meaningful access to these data for a broad spectrum of users.     

Transition semantics: the dynamics of dependence logic

We examine the relationship between dependence logic and game logics. A variant of dynamic game logic, called Transition Logic, is developed, and we show that its relationship with dependence logic is comparable to the one between first-order logic and dynamic game logic discussed by van Benthem. This suggests a new perspective on the interpretation of dependence logic formulas, in terms of assertions about reachability in games of imperfect information against Nature. We then capitalize on this intuition by developing expressively equivalent variants of dependence logic in which this interpretation is taken to the foreground.     

Where science starts: spontaneous experiments in preschoolers' exploratory play

Probabilistic models of expected information gain require integrating prior knowledge about causal hypotheses with knowledge about possible actions that might generate data relevant to those hypotheses. Here we looked at whether preschoolers (mean: 54 months) recognize “action possibilities” (affordances) in the environment that allow them to isolate variables when there is information to be gained. By manipulating the physical properties of the stimuli, we were able to affect the degree to which candidate variables could be isolated; by manipulating the base rate of candidate causes, we were able to affect the potential for information gain. Children’s exploratory play was sensitive to both manipulations: given unambiguous evidence children played indiscriminately and rarely tried to isolate candidate causes; given ambiguous evidence, children both selected (Experiment 1) and designed (Experiment 2) informative interventions.     

Experiences of the Risen Jesus: The Foundational Historical Issue in the Early Proclamation of the Resurrection

Abstract : That Jesus' disciples experienced what they believed were appearances of the risen Jesus after his death is generally conceded by the critical scholarly community. The nature of these experiences is the key component in recent historical discussions. Drawn from a survey of recent scholarly resurrection studies, and building upon agreed data, various reasons are given to establish the reality of the disciples' experiences. Three major responses to the cause of these experiences are also outlined. The chief goal of this essay is not to decide between these three positions, but to narrow the focus of the current discussion.     

Encoding specificity revisited: the role of semantics.

Three experiments examined the effects of semantic characteristics of word pairs on memory using the encoding specificity paradigm. The paradigm involved four phases: (a) an encoding phase to relate cues and targets, (b) a phase in which words were generated to new cues, (c) a phase for recognition of generated targets, and (d) a cued-recall phase using the original encoding cues. Encoding pairs were classified a priori as either semantically similar (e.g., alluring-PRETTY), semantically contrasting (e.g., drab-PRETTY), or semantically unrelated (e.g., sore-PRETTY). Generation pairs were classified a priori as either semantically similar (e.g., beautiful-PRETTY) or semantically contrasting (e.g., ugly-PRETTY). For recall, the results showed that both the semantic relations between the encoding cue and target and the reprovision of the encoding cue at retrieval were important factors. In the case of recognition, however, both the semantic congruence between the encoding and generation contexts and the amount of semantic elaboration provided by the encoding context were important factors.     

Binge-Drinking: A Test of the Role of Group Norms in the Theory of Planned Behaviour

A study was undertaken to assess the utility of the theory of planned behaviour in the prediction of students' binge-drinking. Additionally, a perspective was utilised to address the usually weak contribution of subjective norms in predicting behavioural intentions. Respondents were 289 undergraduate students. The study employed a longitudinal design, with the predictors of performing the behaviour under consideration assessed prior to the measure of reported behaviour. Support was found for the application of the theory of planned behaviour to binge-drinking. A reconceptualisation of norms in the theory of planned behaviour, from a social identity theory/self-categorization theory perspective, was also supported; consistent with expectations, the norms of a behaviourally relevant reference group predicted intentions to binge-drink, especially for participants who identified strongly with the reference group. The results are discussed in relation to measures which may help to reduce the incidence of binge-drinking by university students.     

Ordinary language semantics: the contribution of Brentano and Marty

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the account of ordinary language semantics developed by Franz Brentano and his pupil Anton Marty. Long before the interest in ordinary language in the analytic tradition, Brentanian philosophers were exploring our everyday use of words, as opposed to the scientific use of language. Brentano and Marty were especially interested in the semantics of (common) names in ordinary language. They claimed that these names are vague, and that this is due to the structure of the concepts that constitute their meaning: concepts expressed by such names are themselves vague, based on typicality, and have more or less similar items within their extension. After presenting the views of Brentano and Marty, this paper compares them to later accounts of meaning and concepts, notably Wittgenstein’s theory of family resemblances and the prototype theory of concepts, and emphasizes the originality of the Brentanian position.     

Visual problem solving in the absence of lexical semantics: Evidence from dementia

A case of dissociation between visual and praxic skills and linguistic, referential, and semantic skills is described in a case of dementia. Testing revealed that her visual processing was intact and that she was capable of a wide range of visually based tasks. These included copying geometric figures and block designs; matching items on the basis of number, color, or relative size, matching upper and lower case letters, sequencing numerals, orienting pictures, coins, and letters appropriately, and solving problems based on the identification of geometric patterns or on the identification of logical sequences based on pattern alternation, number, and size increases. In contrast, she was completely incapable of matching pictures on the basis of their semantic or referential meaning; similarly she had lost all comprehension of language. It was argued that this case demonstrates the capacities of a visual system cut off from all symbolic and semantic processes. When examined with other case studies this case provides information about the nature of and interaction between modality-specific perceptual processing and semantic processing, and information about the various cognitive factors involved in visual gnosis. The CT scan indicated frontal atrophy and marked anterior temporal atrophy, a pattern that is consistent with Pick's disease. The case was discussed in terms of the correlation between the pattern of observed strengths and deficits and the neurological pattern of atrophy.     

Composition in distributional models of semantics

Vector-based models of word meaning have become increasingly popular in cognitive science. The appeal of these models lies in their ability to represent meaning simply by using distributional information under the assumption that words occurring within similar contexts are semantically similar. Despite their widespread use, vector-based models are typically directed at representing words in isolation, and methods for constructing representations for phrases or sentences have received little attention in the literature. This is in marked contrast to experimental evidence (e.g., in sentential priming) suggesting that semantic similarity is more complex than simply a relation between isolated words. This article proposes a framework for representing the meaning of word combinations in vector space. Central to our approach is vector composition, which we operationalize in terms of additive and multiplicative functions. Under this framework, we introduce a wide range of composition models that we evaluate empirically on a phrase similarity task.     

"易"的意指符号学分析

易的符号学语义层级分字源符号学语义和文化符号学语义,字源符号学语义是文化符号学语义的基础,并规定了文化符号学语义的基本走向,文化符号学语义则是字源语义的提升、拓展与哲理化,不同层级的语义共生于"易"这一文化符号的语义拓扑空间,摹写出汉语言文化独特的生命世界,同时,其语义的生成也依赖这一符号对汉文化生命事件的参与.