predicate

Review of new material

A start can be made in predicate logic by taking apart 'atomic' propositions and by re-phrasing what they have to say in a 'entity-has-property' way.

The constant terms a,b,c...h are used to denote entities, the predicates A,B,C...Z are used to denote properties that these entities have, and these are put together by writing the predicate first followed by the term, for example Gb.

10 Software

Reading

Hausman[2007] Logic and Philosophy Chapter 7

Tutorial

In predicate logic, many different styles of expression in English get cast into the same 'property-is-had-by-entity' form. For example,

6/14/07 10 Software

Skills to be acquired in this tutorial:

To start learning how to symbolize sentences using predicate logic.

Reading

Hausman[2007] Logic and Philosophy Chapter 7

The Tutorial:

There are many valid arguments which cannot be shown to be valid using sentential logic alone. For example,

Beryl is a philosopher.
All philosophers are wise.
Therefore
Beryl is wise.

There are many valid arguments which cannot be shown to be valid using sentential logic alone. For example,

Beryl is a philosopher.
All philosophers are wise.
Therefore
Beryl is wise.

7/31/08

The very first lesson that we have a right to demand that logic shall teach us is, how to make our ideas clear; and a most important one it is, depreciated only by minds who stand in need of it. To know what we think, to be masters of our own meaning, will make a solid foundation for great and weighty thought. [CS Peirce, How to make our ideas clear]

6/24/07 10 Software

You now have to tools to appraise arguments to the level of detail offered by predicate logic.

Let us run through how these might be used with a long and difficult example.

Consider the argument

6/20/07 10Software

Skill to be acquired:

To understand how the various restrictions on the quantificational rules work to exclude certain kinds of invalid inferences

Reading

Bergmann[2004] The Logic Book Section 10.1

The Tutorial

The Rule of Universal Elimination UE

If a derivation contains a line of the form

n (∀<variable>)<scope> <any justification>

then a line of the form

<<scope>[<constant>/<variable>]> 'n ∀E'

12/26/05

11/9/2007 10Software

The Tutorial

The semantics of relations proceeds in much the way one would expect-- the new item that has to be taken account of is the order of the terms (because, for example, Tab is not at all the same thing as Tba -- Arthur being taller than Beryl is not the same as Beryl being taller than Arthur).

Let us start with an Interpretation

Interpretation 1

Universe= {a,b}
F={a}

10 Software

The Tutorial

Thus far we have considered only 'monadic' predicates-- our atomic formulas consist of a predicate followed by only one term-- for example, Fx. But in English we regularly encounter dyadic predicates or relations. For example, 'Arthur is taller than Bert' cannot be symbolized with the tools we have used so far; what is needed is a relation to represent '...is taller than ...' Txy, say, and then the proposition would be symbolized Tab.