Incompleteness and Computability


Book Description

A textbook on recursive function theory and G�del's incompleteness theorems. Also covers models of arithmetic and second-order logic.




Incompleteness and Computability


Book Description

This book is an introduction to metamathematics and Gödel's theorems. It covers recursive function theory, arithmetization of syntax, the first and second incompleteness theorem, models of arithmetic, second-order logic, and the lambda calculus. It is based on the Open Logic Project, and available for free download at ic.openlogicproject.org.




An Introduction to Gödel's Theorems


Book Description

In 1931, the young Kurt Gödel published his First Incompleteness Theorem, which tells us that, for any sufficiently rich theory of arithmetic, there are some arithmetical truths the theory cannot prove. This remarkable result is among the most intriguing (and most misunderstood) in logic. Gödel also outlined an equally significant Second Incompleteness Theorem. How are these Theorems established, and why do they matter? Peter Smith answers these questions by presenting an unusual variety of proofs for the First Theorem, showing how to prove the Second Theorem, and exploring a family of related results (including some not easily available elsewhere). The formal explanations are interwoven with discussions of the wider significance of the two Theorems. This book will be accessible to philosophy students with a limited formal background. It is equally suitable for mathematics students taking a first course in mathematical logic.




Computability and Logic


Book Description

This fifth edition of 'Computability and Logic' covers not just the staple topics of an intermediate logic course such as Godel's incompleteness theorems, but also optional topics that include Turing's theory of computability and Ramsey's theorem.




Forever Undecided


Book Description

Forever Undecided is the most challenging yet of Raymond Smullyan’s puzzle collections. It is, at the same time, an introduction—ingenious, instructive, entertaining—to Gödel’s famous theorems. With all the wit and charm that have delighted readers of his previous books, Smullyan transports us once again to that magical island where knights always tell the truth and knaves always lie. Here we meet a new and amazing array of characters, visitors to the island, seeking to determine the natives’ identities. Among them: the census-taker McGregor; a philosophical-logician in search of his flighty bird-wife, Oona; and a regiment of Reasoners (timid ones, normal ones, conceited, modest, and peculiar ones) armed with the rules of propositional logic (if X is true, then so is Y). By following the Reasoners through brain-tingling exercises and adventures—including journeys into the “other possible worlds” of Kripke semantics—even the most illogical of us come to understand Gödel’s two great theorems on incompleteness and undecidability, some of their philosophical and mathematical implications, and why we, like Gödel himself, must remain Forever Undecided!




Computability


Book Description

Computer scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers discuss the conceptual foundations of the notion of computability as well as recent theoretical developments. In the 1930s a series of seminal works published by Alan Turing, Kurt Gödel, Alonzo Church, and others established the theoretical basis for computability. This work, advancing precise characterizations of effective, algorithmic computability, was the culmination of intensive investigations into the foundations of mathematics. In the decades since, the theory of computability has moved to the center of discussions in philosophy, computer science, and cognitive science. In this volume, distinguished computer scientists, mathematicians, logicians, and philosophers consider the conceptual foundations of computability in light of our modern understanding.Some chapters focus on the pioneering work by Turing, Gödel, and Church, including the Church-Turing thesis and Gödel's response to Church's and Turing's proposals. Other chapters cover more recent technical developments, including computability over the reals, Gödel's influence on mathematical logic and on recursion theory and the impact of work by Turing and Emil Post on our theoretical understanding of online and interactive computing; and others relate computability and complexity to issues in the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of science, and the philosophy of mathematics.ContributorsScott Aaronson, Dorit Aharonov, B. Jack Copeland, Martin Davis, Solomon Feferman, Saul Kripke, Carl J. Posy, Hilary Putnam, Oron Shagrir, Stewart Shapiro, Wilfried Sieg, Robert I. Soare, Umesh V. Vazirani




Gödel's Theorem


Book Description

"Among the many expositions of Gödel's incompleteness theorems written for non-specialists, this book stands apart. With exceptional clarity, Franzén gives careful, non-technical explanations both of what those theorems say and, more importantly, what they do not. No other book aims, as his does, to address in detail the misunderstandings and abuses of the incompleteness theorems that are so rife in popular discussions of their significance. As an antidote to the many spurious appeals to incompleteness in theological, anti-mechanist and post-modernist debates, it is a valuable addition to the literature." --- John W. Dawson, author of Logical Dilemmas: The Life and Work of Kurt Gödel




Godel's Incompleteness Theorems


Book Description

Kurt Godel, the greatest logician of our time, startled the world of mathematics in 1931 with his Theorem of Undecidability, which showed that some statements in mathematics are inherently "undecidable." His work on the completeness of logic, the incompleteness of number theory, and the consistency of the axiom of choice and the continuum theory brought him further worldwide fame. In this introductory volume, Raymond Smullyan, himself a well-known logician, guides the reader through the fascinating world of Godel's incompleteness theorems. The level of presentation is suitable for anyone with a basic acquaintance with mathematical logic. As a clear, concise introduction to a difficult but essential subject, the book will appeal to mathematicians, philosophers, and computer scientists.




A Friendly Introduction to Mathematical Logic


Book Description

At the intersection of mathematics, computer science, and philosophy, mathematical logic examines the power and limitations of formal mathematical thinking. In this expansion of Leary's user-friendly 1st edition, readers with no previous study in the field are introduced to the basics of model theory, proof theory, and computability theory. The text is designed to be used either in an upper division undergraduate classroom, or for self study. Updating the 1st Edition's treatment of languages, structures, and deductions, leading to rigorous proofs of Gödel's First and Second Incompleteness Theorems, the expanded 2nd Edition includes a new introduction to incompleteness through computability as well as solutions to selected exercises.




Foundations of Logic and Theory of Computation


Book Description

The book provides a self-contained introduction to mathematical logic and computability theory for students of mathematics or computer science. It is organized around the failures and successes of Hilbert's programme for the formalization of Mathematics. It is widely known that the programme failed with Gödel's incompleteness theorems and related negative results about arithmetic. Unfortunately, the positive outcomes of the programme are less well known, even among mathematicians. The book covers key successes, like Gödel's proof of the completeness of first-order logic, Gentzen's proof of its consistency by purely symbolic means, and the decidability of a couple of useful theories. The book also tries to convey the message that Hilbert's programme made a significant contribution to the advent of the computer as it is nowadays understood and, thus, to the latest industrial revolution. Part I of the book addresses Hilbert's programme and computability. Part II presents first-order logic, including Gödel's completeness theorem and Gentzen's consistency theorem. Part III is focused on arithmetic, representability of computable maps, Gödel's incompleteness theorems and decidability of Presburger arithmetic. Part IV provides detailed answers to selected exercises. The book can be used at late undergraduate level or early graduate level. An undergraduate course would concentrate on Parts I and II, leaving out the Gentzen calculus, and sketching the way to the 1st incompleteness theorem. A more advanced course might skip early material already known to the students and concentrate on the positive and negative results of Hilbert's programme, thus covering Gentzen's proof of consistency and Part III in full.