Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!dali.cs.montana.edu!caen!hellgate.utah.edu!fcom.cc.utah.edu!fcom.cc.utah.edu!dirish From: dirish@csc-sun.math.utah.edu (Dudley Irish) Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy Subject: Re: AGAINST FORMALISM? Message-ID: Date: 21 Jun 91 11:46:42 GMT References: <549@schoenfinkel.cscs.uwindsor.ca> <1991Jun20.201004.2277@arcturus.uucp> <557@schoenfinkel.cscs.uwindsor.ca> Sender: news@fcom.cc.utah.edu Organization: Department of Mathematics, University of Utah Lines: 17 In-Reply-To: wsaba@cscs.uwindsor.ca's message of 21 Jun 91 07:53:12 GMT The problem in this discussion is that we keep runing together the notions of reasoning rationally and formal logic. Remember the FORM in formal means that we operate only on the form of the expression, NOT on the meaning. It is not clear to me how a formal system can have any meaning. This is a very complex issue and it is by no means well understood. I am in no position to try to argue about languages of thought, rule based reasoning, or any of the other complex issues from philosophy of mind. I just want to remind people that the usefulness of formal logic is that it does not depend on the meaning of the terms. This in my opinion restricts its usefulness in explaining the meaning of thoughts. -- Dudley Irish / dirish@math.utah.edu / Manager Computer Operations Center for Scientific Computing, Dept of Mathematics, University of Utah The views expressed in this message do not reflect the views of the Dept of Mathematics, the University of Utah, or the State of Utah.