Haziness for common sensical inference from uncertain and inconsistent linear knowledge base

International audienceWe theoretically address the problem of reasoning common sensically in uncertain and inconsistent linear knowledge bases. Those bases linearly combine degrees of belief about sentences of a propositional logic, where degrees of belief are assumed to be probabilities. A knowledge base is inconsistent iff no probability function satisfies it. We propose a new process that consistently infers information from such bases. Contrary to ordinary inference processes, ours tackles inconsistencies by trusting every single item of knowledge, where trust can be an application-specific parameter. Moreover, our inference process behaves common sensically when applied to a consistent knowledge base, since it coincides with the Maximum Entropy inference process. Besides, we provide new measures of inconsistency and similarity that deal with possibly inconsistent knowledge bases. Injecting a bit of common sense into decision systems should make them more easily trustworthy

Students’ understanding of evidence in science through studying paradoxes and the principle of falsification

This thesis explores how students can come to understand the relationships between evidence, theory and logic within the field of science. I develop the role of the study of paradox as a teaching practice. I seek to ascertain the role that this type of study offers the development of students’ evidentiary logic and I question whether studying paradoxes can enhance students’ capacity to articulate their understandings

Forgotten Laxdæla poetry : a study and an edition of Tyrfingur Finnsson's Vísur uppá Laxdæla sögu

The paper discusses the metre and the diction of a previously unpublished small poem about characters of Laxdæla saga, composed in 18th century. The stanzas are ostensibly in skaldic dróttkvætt; the analysis shows it to be an imitation of the classical metre, yet a remarkably successful one, implying an extraordinarily good grasp of dróttkvætt poetics on the part of a poet composing several hundred years after the end of the classical dróttkvætt period