Best of
Logic

2009

Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions


Paul Timothy McCain - 2009
    Nothing is more important than clearly confessing and bearing witness to the truths of God's Holy Word which reveal the glorious Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is what the Book of Concord is all about. This edition of the Lutheran Confessions will instruct, inspire and educate all who use it and help them learn what it means to be, and to remain, a genuinely confessing Lutheran Christian.

Physics, Topology, Logic and Computation: A Rosetta Stone


John C. Baez - 2009
    In the 1980s, it became clear that underlying these diagrams is a powerful analogy between quantum physics and topology. Namely, a linear operator behaves very much like a ‘cobordism’: a manifold representing spacetime, going between two manifolds representing space. This led to a burst of work on topological quantum field theory and ‘quantum topology’. But this was just the beginning: similar diagrams can be used to reason about logic, where they represent proofs, and computation, where they represent programs. With the rise of interest in quantum cryptography and quantum computation, it became clear that there is extensive network of analogies between physics, topology, logic and computation. In this expository paper, we make some of these analogies precise using the concept of ‘closed symmetric monoidal category’. We assume no prior knowledge of category theory, proof theory or computer science.

More Precisely: The Math You Need to Do Philosophy


Eric Steinhart - 2009
    It is impossible to fully understand much of the most important work in contemporary philosophy without a basic grasp of set theory, functions, probability, modality and infinity. Until now, this knowledge was difficult to acquire. Professors had to provide custom handouts to their classes, while students struggled through math texts searching for insight. More Precisely fills this key gap.Eric Steinhart provides lucid explanations of the basic mathematical concepts and sets out most commonly used notational conventions. Furthermore, he demonstrates how mathematics applies to many fundamental issues in branches of philosophy such as metaphysics, philosophy of language, epistemology, and ethics.

The Essential Herman Kahn: In Defense of Thinking


Herman Kahn - 2009
    Yet, in spite of the constant influence of his arguments, there is a shortage of books summarizing Kahn's essential contributions, and thus his work is not as well known as it should be. The Essential Herman Kahn is an attempt to cope with this predicament and offer the public for the first time an anthology consisting of the essence of Kahn's work, organized thematically. The two decades that have passed since his death allow us today to approach his work undisturbed by the "sound and fury" of the many public debates and controversies he participated in and to focus on some of the deepest and most enduring dimensions of his intellectual contributions. The anthology will try to bring together, out of the several thousands pages published by Kahn during his life, the "essential Kahn," the most relevant, consequential and interesting themes, ideas and arguments defining his legacy. As such it will met the needs of those who are interested in Kahn's work but do not have the time and energy to access his out-of-print books, to make their way through the voluminous number of pages, and then to sort out the essential from the accidental, the perennial from the contextual.

Thought Vibration by William W. Atkinson, and, The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel


William Walker Atkinson - 2009
    Atkinson AND The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel written respectively by authors William W. Atkinson & Charles F. Haanel is considered by many to be two of the most widely read books of all time. These two popular titles will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, Thought Vibration by William W. Atkinson AND The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, the combination of these two books by William W. Atkinson & Charles F. Haanel are highly recommended. Published by Classic Books America and beautifully produced, Thought Vibration by William W. Atkinson AND The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel would make an ideal gift and this two book combination should be a part of everyone's personal library.

New Waves in Philosophy of Mathematics


Otávio Bueno - 2009
    New trends are revealed, such as an increasing attention to mathematical practice, a reassessment of the canon, and inspiration from philosophical logic.

Handbook of Practical Logic and Automated Reasoning


John E. Harrison - 2009
    The mathematical logic foundations are described in conjunction with practical application, all with the minimum of prerequisites. The approach is constructive, concrete and algorithmic: a key feature is that methods are described with reference to actual implementations (for which code is supplied) that readers can use, modify and experiment with. This book is ideally suited for those seeking a one-stop source for the general area of automated reasoning. It can be used as a reference, or as a place to learn the fundamentals, either in conjunction with advanced courses or for self study.

Mathematical Discovery on Understanding, Learning, and Teaching Problem Solving, Volume I


George Pólya - 2009
    Born in Budapest on 13 December 1887, his original name was Polya Gyorg. He wrote perhaps the most famous book of mathematics ever written, namely "How to Solve It." However, "How to Solve It" is not strictly speaking a math book. It is a book about how to solve problems of any kind, of which math is just one type of problem. The same techniques could in principle be used to solve any problem one encounters in life (such as how to choose the best wife ). Therefore, Polya wrote the current volume to explain how the techniques set forth in "How to Solve It" can be applied to specific areas such as geometry."