Symbol and Abstract Reasoning
1. Symbol and Language
Symbol: sign and meaning, Semiotics
A language is a system of symbols, and has representation and communication capabilities. Controversial opinions:
Issue in "Symbolic AI": "Physical Symbol System Hypothesis", "Chinese Room Argument"
Issue in "Connectionist AI": "symbol grounding", "variable binding"
2. Reasoning and Natural Language
Symbolic school in NLP: dictionary and grammar book
Statistical school in NLP: correlation patterns in actual usage
Advanced topics:
3. Reasoning and Mathematics
Theorem proving
- Symbols and variables in reasoning system, unification
- Combinatorial explosion and control strategy
Mathematics and reality: interpretation and abstraction
4. Reasoning in NAL-6
- Variable terms and substitution
- Abstract terms and interpretation
- Reasoning in and out of a subsystem
- Two types of "logic": innate/procedural/unconscious vs. acquired/declarative/conscious
- Various types of "symbol": object-level vs. meta-level, constant vs. variable
- Linguistic terms as symbols
- Translation as substitution
Reading
- Non-Axiomatic Logic: A Model of Intelligent Reasoning, 2nd Edition, Chapter 10