Medieval Logic and Computational Methods

Description

This course looks at how modern computational techniques in logic can be used to approach historical questions in the history of logic while also reflecting on the differences and similarities between historical and modern approaches to logic.

Historically, the course will focus on two authors’ approaches to modal logic, the branch of logic that deals with possibility, necessity, and contingency, Ibn Sina (9th century) and John Buridan (14th century). Using these two authors and their discussions of logic as a starting place, we will look at how their logical systems can be represented and formalised using contemporary computational methods, as well as reflecting on the similarities and differences between historical approaches to analysing validity and its relationship to modern notions of algorithms.
The overarching aim of the course is to develop the framework that allows us to computationally show that Buridan and Ibn Sina are working with the same modal logic under two different presentations.

Time commitment:
Session 1: 10.30–12pm 1.5 hours
Session 2: 10.30–11.30am 1 hour
Session 3: 10.30–12pm 1.5 hours
Session 4: 10.30–11.30am 1 hour

Eligibility
This workshop is open to graduate students and staff at the University of Cambridge. In addition, it is relevant for any DH researchers who might encounter statistical analyses in their work and do not already have a strong statistics background. Places are limited and available to book via UTBS.