Logic and Information (Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science)

Book Description

In this provocative and ground-breaking book, Keith Devlin argues that in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of intelligence and knowledge acquisition, we must broaden our concept of logic. Classical logic, beginning with the work of Aristotle, has developed into a powerful and rigorous mathematical theory with many applications in mathematics and computer science, but it has proved woefully inadequate in the search for artificial intelligence. The new kind of logic, also mathematically based, outlined by Professor Devlin is the culmination of collaborative research among some of the world's leading logicians, philosophers, linguists, psychologists, and computer scientists. It introduces the concepts of infon, a quantum of information, and situations, a dynamical generalization of sets, and is capable of handlng the issues involved in human communication, thought, speech, and machine information processing.

Lindenmayer Systems: Impacts on Theoretical Computer Science, Computer Graphics, and Developmental Biology

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Lindenmayer Systems: Impacts on Theoretical Computer Science, Computer Graphics, and Developmental Biology

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540553207

Book Description

L systems are language-theoretic models for developmental biology. They wereintroduced in 1968 by Aristid Lindenmayer (1925-1989) and have proved to be among the most beautiful examples of interdisciplinary science, where work in one area induces fruitful ideas and results in other areas. L systemsare based on relational and set-theoretic concepts, which are more suitable for the discrete and combinatorial structures of biology than mathematical models based on calculus or statistics. L systems have stimulated new work not only in the realistic simulation of developing organisms but also in the theory of automata and formal languages, formal power series, computer graphics, and combinatorics of words. This book contains research papers by almost all leading authorities and by many of the most promising young researchers in the field. The 28 contributions are organized in sections on basic L systems, computer graphics, graph grammars and map L systems, biological aspects and models, and variations and generalizations of L systems. The introductory paper by Lindenmayer and J}rgensen was written for a wide audience and is accessible to the non-specialist reader. The volume documents the state of the art in the theory of L systems and their applications. It will interest researchers and advanced students in theoretical computer science and developmental biology as well as professionals in computer graphics.

Information Flow: The Logic of Distributed Systems (Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science)

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Well worth the effort
A framework for studying information content
Not enough juice for the squeeze
Disappointing among Barwise' other work
new engineering tools

Information Flow: The Logic of Distributed Systems (Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science)
Jon Barwise , and Jerry Seligman
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Topoi: The Categorial Analysis of Logic (Dover Books on Mathematics)

ASIN: 0521583861

Book Description

Information is a central topic in computer science, cognitive science, and philosophy. In spite of its importance in the "information age," there is no consensus on what information is, what makes it possible, and what it means for one medium to carry information about another. Drawing on ideas from mathematics, computer science, and philosophy, this book addresses the definition and place of information in society. The authors, observing that information flow is possible only within a connected distribution system, provide a mathematically rigorous, philosophically sound foundation for a science of information. They illustrate their theory by applying it to a wide range of phenomena, from file transfer to DNA, from quantum mechanics to speech act theory.

Customer Reviews:

Well worth the effort.......2006-08-02

I found the exposition in parts of this book quite poor. The prose is often pretty cryptic, there were some typographical errors that led me down detours while I tried to work through the details, so it took a lot of work (for me at least) to figure out some of the steps. The fact that a lot of the examples are of "toy" problems doesn't help see how the framework developed could be used for anything.

This is one of those books that should say "Some assembly required" on the cover.

I still think this is an important book, and that it deserves considerably more influence in academic philosophy, especially in the literature on causal process theories (developments of the work of Reichenbach and Salmon) and relations between theories in philosophy of science.

This isn't easy, and it's not obvious what it's useful for, but it's still very good. I'm not sure what the theoretical computer scientists make of it.

A framework for studying information content.......2006-04-18

In his book, The Situation in Logic, Jon Barwise wrote, "...it has turned out that one of the most important notions of topology has been that of a homeomorphism, a function from one space to another that respects nearness relations in an appropriate way. I think that something similar is going to happen here. I suspect that we are going to find ourselves studying 'infomorphisms,' maps from one information space to another that preserve information. But before we can define these maps, we need to understand the basic structure they need to preserve....I am currently working on such a framework."

Jon's book with Jerry Seligman presents this framework. Just before its publication I met Jon for the first time at a workshop at Stanford on the business applications of situation theory. I took what I learned there into a subsequent project on intangible assets at the Brookings Institution, wrote a paper listing some possibly relevant requirements on theories of information content, and submitted it for publication at http://www.unifr.ch/econophysics/articoli/articoli-00-jun.html.

Later-- after Jon had passed away-- I found one of the infomorphisms he had told us about in the Born equation of quantum mechanics.(http://www.wexedesignart.com/theBornInfomorphism.html)

It was an honor to know Jon.

Not enough juice for the squeeze.......2001-01-31

Impressive formalization of information flow via mathematics and logic, but in the end it's not clear if this subject holds any practical value. For, in practice, the model of information flow always requires a priori working models of the phenomena under consideration before the principles of information flow can be put to use. For example, consider currency fluctuations as information about some nation's economy. You can model this using Barwise's scheme, but doing so doesn't bring anything to one's understanding that we didn't already have from economics. No real clarification on what information is, either (although there's a lengthy discussion of this at the outset). Requires a fairly good working knowledge of set theory and basic formal logic. Poorly edited.

Disappointing among Barwise' other work.......2000-05-22

There's a lot of informal discussion at the beginning about what information "really is", but very little in terms of innovative content. The book contains a good formal approach that expands on earlier work in the same field, but it hangs on too many ill-fitting concepts as the "Xerox principle" and the notion that knowledge can be quantified. The book also completely ignores the ontological perspective which other researchers have addressed for over a decade.

new engineering tools.......1999-08-17

A mathematical basis for Keith Devlin's book "InfoSense: Turning Information into Knowledge." Buy them both!

Fundamentals of Algebraic Graph Transformation (Monographs in Theoretical Computer Science. An EATCS Series)

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Fundamentals of Algebraic Graph Transformation (Monographs in Theoretical Computer Science. An EATCS Series)
H. Ehrig , K. Ehrig , U. Prange , and G. Taentzer
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Handbook of Graph Grammars and Computing by Graph Transformation

ASIN: 3540311874

Book Description

Graphs are widely used to represent structural information in the form of objects and connections between them. Graph transformation is the rule-based manipulation of graphs, an increasingly important concept in computer science and related fields. This is the first textbook treatment of the algebraic approach to graph transformation, based on algebraic structures and category theory. Part I is an introduction to the classical case of graph and typed graph transformation. In Part II basic and advanced results are first shown for an abstract form of replacement systems, so-called adhesive high-level replacement systems based on category theory, and are then instantiated to several forms of graph and Petri net transformation systems. Part III develops typed attributed graph transformation, a technique of key relevance in the modeling of visual languages and in model transformation. Part IV contains a practical case study on model transformation and a presentation of the AGG (attributed graph grammar) tool environment. Finally the appendix covers the basics of category theory, signatures and algebras. The book addresses both research scientists and graduate students in computer science, mathematics and engineering.

Verification of Reactive Systems: Formal Methods and Algorithms (Texts in Theoretical Computer Science. An EATCS Series)

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Verification of Reactive Systems: Formal Methods and Algorithms (Texts in Theoretical Computer Science. An EATCS Series)
Klaus Schneider
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540002960

Book Description

Reactive systems are becoming more and more important for essentially all areas of technical and professional activities as well as for many areas of everyday life. The design of these systems is a great challenge and requires sound compromises between safety and time-to-market. To meet these needs, early design phases nowadays include verification of given specifications against system descriptions to find potential design errors as early as possible.

This book is devoted to the foundation of the most popular formal methods for the specification and verification of reactive systems. In particular, the µ-calculus, omega-automata, and temporal logics are covered in full detail; their relationship and state-of-the-art verification procedures based on these formal approaches are presented. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of the formalisms from particular points of view are analyzed. Most results are given with detailed proofs, so that the presentation is almost self-contained.

This book is targeted to advanced students, lecturers and researchers in the area of formal methods.

Security Engineering with Patterns: Origins, Theoretical Models, and New Applications (Lecture Notes in Computer Science)

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Security Engineering with Patterns: Origins, Theoretical Models, and New Applications (Lecture Notes in Computer Science)
Markus Schumacher
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3540407316

Book Description

For quite some time, in systems and software design, security only came as a second thought or even as a nice-to-have add-on. However, since the breakthrough of the Internet as a virtual backbone for electronic commerce and similar applications, security is now recognized as a fundamental requirement.

This book presents a systematic security improvement approach based on the pattern paradigm. The author first clarifies the key concepts of security patterns, defines their semantics and syntax, demonstrates how they can be used, and then compares his model with other security approaches. Based on the author's model and best practice in security patterns, security novices are now in a position to understand how security experts solve problems and can basically act like them by using the patterns available as building blocks for their designs.

Logic and Computation: Interactive Proof with Cambridge LCF (Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science)

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Logic and Computation: Interactive Proof with Cambridge LCF (Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science)
Lawrence C. Paulson
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521395607

Book Description

Logic and Computation is concerned with techniques for formal theorem-proving, with particular reference to Cambridge LCF (Logic for Computable Functions). Cambridge LCF is a computer program for reasoning about computation. It combines methods of mathematical logic with domain theory, the basis of the denotational approach to specifying the meaning of statements in a programming language. This book consists of two parts. Part I outlines the mathematical preliminaries: elementary logic and domain theory. They are explained at an intuitive level, giving references to more advanced reading. Part II provides enough detail to serve as a reference manual for Cambridge LCF. It will also be a useful guide for implementors of other programs based on the LCF approach.

Coloured Petri Nets: Basic Concepts, Analysis Methods and Practical Use. Volume 1 (Monographs in Theoretical Computer Science. An EATCS Series)

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Integrate three volume to one
Integrate three volume to one
Integrate three volume to one
BEST BOOK FOR CPN

Coloured Petri Nets: Basic Concepts, Analysis Methods and Practical Use. Volume 1 (Monographs in Theoretical Computer Science. An EATCS Series)
Kurt Jensen
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540609431

Book Description

This three-volume work presents a coherent description of the theoretical and practical aspects of coloured Petri nets. These CP-nets are shown to be a full-fledged language for the design, specification, simulation, validation and implementation of large software systems.
The introductory first volume contains the formal definition of CP-nets and the mathematical theory behind their analysis methods. It gives a detailed presentation of many small examples and a brief overview of some industrial applications. The purpose of the book is to teach the reader how to construct CP-net models and analyse them by means of simulation. The book is also attractive to readers who are more interested in applications than in the underlying mathematics.

Customer Reviews:

Integrate three volume to one.......2000-02-18

I feel that the writing style is a little confusing even though Jensen is a master. I also recommend to integrate the three volumes to one due to the simplicity and vol. 2 just took 182 pages. In addition, the notations relatively differ from the ones in Peterson's Petri nets.

Integrate three volume to one.......2000-02-18

I feel that the writing style is a little confusing even though Jensen is a master. I also recommend to integrate the three volume to one due to the simplicity and vol. 2 just took 182 pages. In addition, the notations relatively differ from the ones in Peterson's Petri nets.

BEST BOOK FOR CPN.......1999-12-14

It is the best book of CPN for the people who intriest in Coloured Petri nets.And it is very helpful to the research fo CPN.Though I haven't owned this book,I wash Icould get it in the near day!

Epistemic Logic for AI and Computer Science (Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science)

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Epistemic Logic for AI and Computer Science (Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science)
J.-J. Ch. Meyer , and W. van der Hoek
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521602807

Book Description

Epistemic logic has grown from its philosophical beginnings to find diverse applications in computer science as a means of reasoning about the knowledge and belief of agents. This book, based on courses taught at universities and summer schools, provides a broad introduction to the subject; many exercises are included together with their solutions. The authors begin by presenting the necessary apparatus from mathematics and logic, including Kripke semantics and the well-known modal logics K, T, S4 and S5. Then they turn to applications in the contexts of distributed systems and artificial intelligence: topics that are addressed include the notions of common knowledge, distributed knowledge, explicit and implicit belief, the interplays between knowledge and time, and knowledge and action, as well as a graded (or numerical) variant of the epistemic operators. The problem of logical omniscience is also discussed extensively. Halpern and Moses’ theory of honest formulae is covered, and a digression is made into the realm of non-monotonic reasoning and preferential entailment. Moore’s autoepistemic logic is discussed, together with Levesque's related logic of ‘all I know’. Furthermore, it is shown how one can base default and counterfactual reasoning on epistemic logic.

Basic Proof Theory (Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science)

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Useful but a bit mis-pitched

Basic Proof Theory (Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science)
A. S. Troelstra , H. Schwichtenberg , and Anne S. Troelstra
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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ASIN: 0521779111

Book Description

This introduction to the basic ideas of structural proof theory contains a thorough discussion and comparison of various types of first-order logic formalization. Examples are given of several areas of application, namely: the metamathematics of pure first-order logic, logic programming theory, category theory, modal logic, linear logic, first-order arithmetic and second-order logic. In each case the authors illustrate the methods in relatively simple situations and then apply them elsewhere in much more complex settings. For the new edition, they have rewritten many sections to improve clarity, added new sections on cut elimination, and included solutions to selected exercises. In general, the only prerequisite is a standard course in first-order logic, making the book ideal for graduate students and beginning researchers in mathematical logic, theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence.

Customer Reviews:

Useful but a bit mis-pitched.......2005-03-18

This is a very bread-and-butter introduction to proof theory. Apart from digressions, it is not until we are five-sixths of the way through the book that we begin to meet formal systems in which any actual mathematics can be formalized (chapter 10). The first nine chapters are devoted to studying, in great detail, a plethora of purely logical systems. Anyone who thought, under the influence of Hilbert, perhaps, that proof theory was about proving the consistency of classical mathematics will probably be seriously disappointed with this book.

This is the main flaw in the book. Computer scientists (of whom I am not one) might like it; but beginners looking for an explanation of the relevance of proof theory to either mathematics or philosophy will probably not find what they are looking for, at least through the first five-sixths of the book.

Why is proof theory interesting? I could be missing something, but I just do not see that the authors have anything much to say about this question - rather a serious fault in an introductory textbook, surely? The book is very clear and the style is pleasant; but a great many hairs are split and a beginner cannot be expected to see that there is anything much to be gained from doing so.

Despite these faults, for readers who *already* possess a moderately advanced knowledge of proof theory and want a really thorough, in-depth treatment of the very basics of the subject, this book is very useful. A thing I particularly liked is the emphasis given to considerations about the lengths of proofs (sections 5.1 and 6.7). Some textbooks on proof theory either do not treat pure logic at all (Pohlers) or do treat it but without giving any information about what cut-elimination in pure logic does to the length of a proof (Schuette). The latter strategy is perverse. Considerations about lengths of proofs are undeniably important when the proofs in question are infinitely long; yet students of the subject should be allowed to see that the considerations that apply here are just generalizations of the same considerations as they apply to finitely long proofs. You will understand the advanced stuff better if you know the basics as well.

People doing research in proof theory might also welcome the fact that the authors discuss quite a wide variety of logical systems, thus giving the reader a chance to weigh up the merits and disadvantages of each.

Anyone wanting a first introduction to proof theory will probably find the one by Pohlers a lot more exciting than this one. Of the older books, the one by Girard is the one that bears the closest resemblance to this book: in fact, this book covers much of the same ground as the earlier chapters of Girard's, but is easier to follow. On the other hand, because Girard goes much further into the subject, he allows you better to see the relevance of the basics to the more advanced material.

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