10 December 2018, AUC Logic Lectures Series, Johan van Benthem

Our walk starts with quantifier expressions like "all", "some" which underlie both ordinary language and the mathematical language of science. We look at the history of logical systems for quantifiers, flagging some issues very much alive today, such as the interplay of formal and natural languages, fast practical quantifier inference versus slow conscious deductive proof, compositionality and recursion, and interfaces with probability. These topics show logic as a design lab, but also as a cross-roads where many academic disciplines meet and interact.