Terminological reasoning and partial inductive definitions

There are two motivations for this paper. (i) In terminological systems in the tradition of KL-ONE the taxonomic and conceptual knowledge of a particular problem domain can be represented by so called concepts. The intensional definitions of these concepts can be analyzed and checked for plausibility using certain reasoning services (e.g. subsumption) that make the user conscious of some of the consequences of his definitions. A hybrid knowledge base can then rely on these checked definitions. In this paper a terminological formalism is embedded into the formalism of partial inductive definitions (PID) such that a flexible environment for experimenting with this kind of hybrid systems and the terminological formalism itself is obtained. (ii) Terminological formalisms provide (terminating) decision procedures for their reasoning services dealing with a restricted kind of quantification. Mapping these algorithms to PID improves the understanding of control and explicit quantification in PID

Terminological reasoning and partial inductive definitions

There are two motivations for this paper. (i) In terminological systems in the tradition of KL-ONE the taxonomic and conceptual knowledge of a particular problem domain can be represented by so called concepts. The intensional definitions of these concepts can be analyzed and checked for plausibility using certain reasoning services (e.g. subsumption) that make the user conscious of some of the consequences of his definitions. A hybrid knowledge base can then rely on these checked definitions. In this paper a terminological formalism is embedded into the formalism of partial inductive definitions (PID) such that a flexible environment for experimenting with this kind of hybrid systems and the terminological formalism itself is obtained. (ii) Terminological formalisms provide (terminating) decision procedures for their reasoning services dealing with a restricted kind of quantification. Mapping these algorithms to PID improves the understanding of control and explicit quantification in PID

Proceedings of the Workshop on Linear Logic and Logic Programming

Declarative programming languages often fail to effectively address many aspects of control and resource management. Linear logic provides a framework for increasing the strength of declarative programming languages to embrace these aspects. Linear logic has been used to provide new analyses of Prolog\u27s operational semantics, including left-to-right/depth-first search and negation-as-failure. It has also been used to design new logic programming languages for handling concurrency and for viewing program clauses as (possibly) limited resources. Such logic programming languages have proved useful in areas such as databases, object-oriented programming, theorem proving, and natural language parsing. This workshop is intended to bring together researchers involved in all aspects of relating linear logic and logic programming. The proceedings includes two high-level overviews of linear logic, and six contributed papers. Workshop organizers: Jean-Yves Girard (CNRS and University of Paris VII), Dale Miller (chair, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia), and Remo Pareschi, (ECRC, Munich)

Ethical leadership as an enabler of organizational culture change

We are emerging from a decade plagued with headlines of crises that tell the narrative of the cost of organizational culture. Evolving before our eyes, the world is acutely focused on the actions of individual leaders and the organizational cultures that have cultivated low-trust and high-fear environments, dysfunctional and failing organizational cultures. Drawing from research in organizational theory, moral philosophy, psychology and sociology, the study focuses on organizational cultures, the role of leadership in enabling healthy cultures. This exploratory, qualitative study utilizing the grounded theory approach addressed the question of how organizations are establishing and reinforcing acceptable ethical leadership behaviors and principles and the factors critical in the role of leadership as an enabler of ethical cultures. The research explores how these leadership behaviors are manifested, and what is the impact and potential consequences these leadership behaviors have on creating healthy organizational cultures. The framework for this exploratory study was to research the questions and assess the phenomena from multiple perspectives. A process of data triangulation was performed, including an evaluation of multiple forms of primary and secondary sources. An analysis of the convergence and disparities of the data patterns resulted in the emergence of the key factors informing the grounded theory. The study points to the importance of leaders as visible and reflective models of organizational culture, especially at the middle layer of the organization. The study points to some emergent themes and effective practices that organizations can utilize to build and frame their ethical leadership development programs and initiatives. These themes include that rules and policies alone, do not provide a sustainable framework for mitigating leadership behavior. Other themes include social learning tools as channels for reinforcement and peer support of ethical decision making practices, evaluation of multiple perspectives of a situation, framing guidance with a tone set through the middle layer of an organization, and implementing diverse activities with a cadence of frequent contact over time. Implications and recommendations for leadership development in the areas of organizational development and business ethics are outlined. Suggestions for future study include organizational reputation management, phenomena of sensationalism and global transparency

The Rhetoric of Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories are contentious narratives that claim to unveil a secret, malevolent plot by a group of conspirators. Research on conspiracy theories has been largely influenced by ‘the paranoid style’ (Hofstadter 2008); nevertheless, conspiracy theories are multifarious and complex narratives. They also hold persuasive powers – are rhetorical –and are widespread (Arnold 2008: 7, Goertzel 1994, Melley 2000). This thesis challenges the enduring association of conspiracy theories with paranoia by contributing to the growing body of work on socio-cultural approaches. In doing so, the current limitation of sparse intellectual engagement with the language of conspiracy theories is addressed by undertaking a socio- cognitive critical discourse analysis. This thesis also contributes to widening applications of socio-cognitive (critical) discourse studies (SCDS) by applying the approach to conspiracy theory discourse, both reinforcing and challenging its toolkit. Firstly, points of contact and divergence between diverse instantiations of conspiracy theories are demonstrated via the discursive construction of collective identities in the conspiracy milieu (Harambam and Aupers 2017: 125). Secondly, the persuasive properties of conspiracy theories and how proponents are positioned as enlightened victims are analysed. Thirdly, there is an exploration of how conspiracy theories can be replicated by a member of the general public. This thesis demonstrates how conspiracy theories can both critique and reinforce systemic power inequalities. SCDS provides analytical frameworks that elucidate the persuasive properties encoded in language. In addition, SCDS explicates the toolkit that conspiracy theories offer to essentially become a ‘DIY detective’ (Byford 2011), uncovering conspiracy theories either directly or vicariously. A variety of analytical frameworks are employed, including Koller’s framework for a socio-cognitive critical discourse studies (2019: 75), social actor framework (van Leeuwen 2008), Cap’s proximization model (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013a, 2013b, 2015), text world theory (Gavins 2007, Werth 1999) and the appraisal framework (Martin 2000, 2003; Martin and Rose 2003; Martin and Rose 2007; Martin and White 2007; White 1997 and 2002). As a data set for the study, representative texts have been chosen via a digital ethnographic process, including superconspiracy (Barkun 2003), ufology, conspirituality (Ward and Voas 2011) and celebrity death conspiracy theories

The Rhetoric of Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories are contentious narratives that claim to unveil a secret, malevolent plot by a group of conspirators. Research on conspiracy theories has been largely influenced by ‘the paranoid style’ (Hofstadter 2008); nevertheless, conspiracy theories are multifarious and complex narratives. They also hold persuasive powers – are rhetorical –and are widespread (Arnold 2008: 7, Goertzel 1994, Melley 2000). This thesis challenges the enduring association of conspiracy theories with paranoia by contributing to the growing body of work on socio-cultural approaches. In doing so, the current limitation of sparse intellectual engagement with the language of conspiracy theories is addressed by undertaking a socio- cognitive critical discourse analysis. This thesis also contributes to widening applications of socio-cognitive (critical) discourse studies (SCDS) by applying the approach to conspiracy theory discourse, both reinforcing and challenging its toolkit. Firstly, points of contact and divergence between diverse instantiations of conspiracy theories are demonstrated via the discursive construction of collective identities in the conspiracy milieu (Harambam and Aupers 2017: 125). Secondly, the persuasive properties of conspiracy theories and how proponents are positioned as enlightened victims are analysed. Thirdly, there is an exploration of how conspiracy theories can be replicated by a member of the general public. This thesis demonstrates how conspiracy theories can both critique and reinforce systemic power inequalities. SCDS provides analytical frameworks that elucidate the persuasive properties encoded in language. In addition, SCDS explicates the toolkit that conspiracy theories offer to essentially become a ‘DIY detective’ (Byford 2011), uncovering conspiracy theories either directly or vicariously. A variety of analytical frameworks are employed, including Koller’s framework for a socio-cognitive critical discourse studies (2019: 75), social actor framework (van Leeuwen 2008), Cap’s proximization model (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013a, 2013b, 2015), text world theory (Gavins 2007, Werth 1999) and the appraisal framework (Martin 2000, 2003; Martin and Rose 2003; Martin and Rose 2007; Martin and White 2007; White 1997 and 2002). As a data set for the study, representative texts have been chosen via a digital ethnographic process, including superconspiracy (Barkun 2003), ufology, conspirituality (Ward and Voas 2011) and celebrity death conspiracy theories