99,765 research outputs found
A correspondence between rooted planar maps and normal planar lambda terms
A rooted planar map is a connected graph embedded in the 2-sphere, with one
edge marked and assigned an orientation. A term of the pure lambda calculus is
said to be linear if every variable is used exactly once, normal if it contains
no beta-redexes, and planar if it is linear and the use of variables moreover
follows a deterministic stack discipline. We begin by showing that the sequence
counting normal planar lambda terms by a natural notion of size coincides with
the sequence (originally computed by Tutte) counting rooted planar maps by
number of edges. Next, we explain how to apply the machinery of string diagrams
to derive a graphical language for normal planar lambda terms, extracted from
the semantics of linear lambda calculus in symmetric monoidal closed categories
equipped with a linear reflexive object or a linear reflexive pair. Finally,
our main result is a size-preserving bijection between rooted planar maps and
normal planar lambda terms, which we establish by explaining how Tutte
decomposition of rooted planar maps (into vertex maps, maps with an isthmic
root, and maps with a non-isthmic root) may be naturally replayed in linear
lambda calculus, as certain surgeries on the string diagrams of normal planar
lambda terms.Comment: Corrected title field in metadat
Numbers, Empiricism and the A Priori
The present paper deals with the ontological status of numbers and considers Frege Ìs proposal in Grundlagen upon the background of the Post-Kantian semantic turn in analytical philosophy. Through a more systematic study of his philosophical premises, it comes to unearth a first level paradox that would unset earlier still than it was exposed by Russell. It then studies an alternative path, that departin1g from Fregeâs initial premises, drives to a conception of numbers as synthetic a priori in a more Kantian sense. On this basis, it tentatively explores a possible derivation of basic logical rules on their behalf, suggesting a more rudimentary basis to inferential thinking, which supports reconsidering the difference between logical thinking and AI. Finally, it reflects upon the contributions of this approach to the problem of the a priori
The Logic of Opacity
We explore the view that Frege's puzzle is a source of straightforward counterexamples to Leibniz's law. Taking this seriously requires us to revise the classical logic of quantifiers and identity; we work out the options, in the context of higher-order logic. The logics we arrive at provide the resources for a straightforward semantics of attitude reports that is consistent with the Millian thesis that the meaning of a name is just the thing it stands for. We provide models to show that some of these logics are non-degenerate
Entanglement as a semantic resource
The characteristic holistic features of the quantum theoretic formalism and the intriguing notion of entanglement can be applied to a field that is far from microphysics: logical semantics. Quantum computational logics are new forms of quantum logic that have been suggested by the theory of quantum logical gates in quantum computation. In the standard semantics of these logics, sentences denote quantum information quantities: systems of qubits (quregisters) or, more generally, mixtures of quregisters (qumixes), while logical connectives are interpreted as special quantum logical gates (which have a characteristic reversible and dynamic behavior). In this framework, states of knowledge may be entangled, in such a way that our information about the whole determines our information about the parts; and the procedure cannot be, generally, inverted. In spite of its appealing properties, the standard version of the quantum computational semantics is strongly "Hilbert-space dependent". This certainly represents a shortcoming for all applications, where real and complex numbers do not generally play any significant role (as happens, for instance, in the case of natural and of artistic languages). We propose an abstract version of quantum computational semantics, where abstract qumixes, quregisters and registers are identified with some special objects (not necessarily living in a Hilbert space), while gates are reversible functions that transform qumixes into qumixes. In this framework, one can give an abstract definition of the notions of superposition and of entangled pieces of information, quite independently of any numerical values. We investigate three different forms of abstract holistic quantum computational logic
Consciousness and intentionality
Philosophers traditionally recognize two main features of mental states: intentionality and phenomenal consciousness. To a first approximation, intentionality is the aboutness of mental states, and phenomenal consciousness is the felt, experiential, qualitative, or "what it's like" aspect of mental states. In the past few decades, these features have been widely assumed to be distinct and independent. But several philosophers have recently challenged this assumption, arguing that intentionality and consciousness are importantly related. This article overviews the key views on the relationship between consciousness and intentionality and describes our favored view, which is a version of the phenomenal intentionality theory, roughly the view that the most fundamental kind of intentionality arises from phenomenal consciousness
Twelve Theses on Reactive Rules for the Web
Reactivity, the ability to detect and react to events, is an
essential functionality in many information systems. In particular, Web
systems such as online marketplaces, adaptive (e.g., recommender) systems,
and Web services, react to events such as Web page updates or
data posted to a server.
This article investigates issues of relevance in designing high-level programming
languages dedicated to reactivity on the Web. It presents
twelve theses on features desirable for a language of reactive rules tuned
to programming Web and Semantic Web applications
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