Tsinghua Logic Salon

■ Current Events

2025 Dec 11/18 13:00-14:30 Hanti Lin (University of California, Davis) A Gentle but Heretic Tutorial on the Mathematics and Epistemology of Data Science

Abstract: Quine argues for naturalism—the view that epistemology is continuous with science—and adds an influential claim that the junction point between epistemology and science must be psychology (or neighboring empirical fields). On the other hand, Carnap argues for the generality of logic—that logic should be broadly construed to include the logic of inductive inference—and adds a similarly influential claim that inductive logic must be Bayesian. I embrace both naturalism and the generality of logic, but I resist Quine’s and Carnap’s respective addenda. In particular, I believe that (i) epistemology can also connect to science through data science, and (ii) the more theoretical parts of data science—such as statistics and machine learning theory—can help us build an inductive logic that need not be Bayesian. These two points, (i) and (ii), are easier to appreciate with some familiarity with the mathematics used in data science. Hence the proposed tutorial: a gentle introduction to some of the mathematics of statistics and machine learning, designed to support my heretic philosophical view. I will deliver the 1.5-hour tutorial on December 11, provide materials for reading after the tutorial, and hold a 1.5-hour Q&A session the following week, on December 18.

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2025 Nov 20 16:00-17:30 Liangda Fang (Jinan University) Strategy Synthesis of LIA-Definable Terminating Impartial Combinatorial Games

In game theory, an elementary and fundamental class of games is impartial combinatorial games (ICGs). The majority of classical and interesting ICGs are LIA-definable and terminating. One of the challenging and long-standing problems of ICGs is to compute winning strategies for possibly infinite number of winning states. To this end, we first propose a logical framework to formalize ICGs based on the linear integer arithmetic fragment of numeric part of PDDL. We then propose two approaches to generating the winning formula that exactly captures the states in which the player can force to win. Furthermore, we compute winning strategies for ICGs based on the winning formula. Experimental results on several games demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.

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2025 Oct 23 16:00-17:30 Igal Kvart (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) The new Pragmatics: Assertions are Pragmatic

In this paper I apply the new Pragmatics to Assertions. Contrary to the prevalent perspective of viewing assertions, viz., epistemic, I argue that assertions are Pragmatic and moreover, are constitutively Pragmatic (in the type of Pragmatics to which our specific Pragmatics belongs). This perspective will cast a new light on whether there is a constitutive Epistemic Norm of Assertion (Williamson). We’ll explore various new features of assertions, viewed from this perspective.

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2025 Oct 14 19:00-21:00 Igal Kvart (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) A new Pragmatics, by-passing Grice and Stalnaker

In this paper I present a new approach to Pragmatics and a new Pragmatic Theory, in a new Conceptual Framework. The main concepts are:

1. Steering-Thrusts – any Verbal Act comes with a certain degree of ‘steering’ the hearer/audience towards adopting a certain content (not just propositional).

2. Pragmatic Stances: Types of cognitive states hearers are steered towards; e.g.: Epistemic/informational Pragmatic Stance, attitudinal, attentive, Action-Directed, emotive, etc.

3. A new set of Norms – comprising Conversational Etiquette, with various new types of norms (beyond Sincerity, and not Gricean Maxims of Rationality).

4. A cognitive state of Posting — having a certain Pragmatic Stance, which is NORM-CONFERRED by Conversational Etiquette, usually via Steering, by a verbal act that makes it PUBLIC.

Applications: Assertions inherently invoke certain HIGHER degrees of Steering-Thrust, NOT some epistemic position.

So-called Presuppositions turn out to be mental acts of Posting-Without-Steering.

(Epistemic) Pragmatic Encroachment DOESN’T EXIST – the underpinning phenomena are Verbal Acts conveying 2 distinct Steering-Thrusts, where the Action-Directed Steering-Thrust DOMINATES and OVERWHELMS the epistemic Steering Thrust. The phenomenon is essentially PRAGMATIC, not (as traditionally conceived) semantic. And various more.

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2025 Sep 18 14:00-15:30 Hiroakira Ono (Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) Extensions of bi-intuitionistic logic —— a review

Bi-intuitionistic logic  is intuitionistic logic with co-implication , which is a logical connective dual to usual implication. Roughly speaking, while

must hold between conjunction and implication,

must hold between disjunction and co-implication. In classical logic, as  means , nothing interesting will occur by introducing co-implication. The main aim of my talk is to examine how intuitionistic world will be affected by the introduction of co-implication, by checking basic logical properties of extensions of BiInt in comparison with those of extensions of intuitionistic logic.

First, we will discuss the subject from syntactical aspects, that include (cut-free) sequent formulation, (local) deduction theorems, and also negative translation. Next we will focus our attention on the symmetry features peculiar to extensions of BiInt. It is pointed out that an interesting duality exists between a given logic and its mirror image, which can preserves some interesting logical properties. Also, algebraic approaches based on bi-Heyting algebras will be discussed.

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■Past Events

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