A Variable-Free Logic for Mass Terms

This paper presents a logic appropriate for mass terms, that is, a logic that does not presuppose interpretation in discrete models. Models may range from atomistic to atomless. This logic is a generalization of the author\u27s work on natural language reasoning. The following claims are made for this logic. First, absence of variables makes it simpler than more conventional formalizations based on predicate logic. Second, capability to deal effectively with discrete terms, and in particular with singular terms, can be added to the logic, making it possible to reason about discrete entities and mass entities in a uniform manner. Third, this logic is similar to surface English, in that the formal language and English are well-translatable, making it particularly suitable for natural language applications. Fourth, deduction performed in this logic is similar to syllogistic, and therefore captures an essential characteristic of human reasoning

Externalism, internalism and logical truth

The aim of this paper is to show what sorts of logics are required by externalist and internalist accounts of the meanings of natural kind nouns. These logics give us a new perspective from which to evaluate the respective positions in the externalist--internalist debate about the meanings of such nouns. The two main claims of the paper are the following: first, that adequate logics for internalism and externalism about natural kind nouns are second-order logics; second, that an internalist second-order logic is a free logic—a second order logic free of existential commitments for natural kind nouns, while an externalist second-order logic is not free of existential commitments for natural kind nouns—it is existentially committed

A data-driven model for parallel interpretation of logic programms [sic]

The main objective of this paper is to present a model of computation which permits logic programs to be executed on a highly-parallel computer architecture. It demonstrates how logic programs may be converted into collections of dataflow graphs in which resolution is viewed as a process of finding matches between certain graph templates and portions of the dataflow graphs. This graph fitting process is carried out by tokens propogating asynchronously through the dataflow graph; thus computation is entirely data-driven, without the need for any centralized control. It is shown that at the implementation level the proposed model is very similar to a general dataflow system and hence a dataflow architecture could easily be extended to support the proposed model