Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 2
Logic Foundation of Artificial Intelligence
2.1 Introduction
Logic as a formal science was founded by Aristotle. Leibniz reaffirmed
Aristotle's logical developing direction of mathematics form and founded the
mathematical logic. From the thirties of the last century, various mathematical
methods were extensively introduced and used in the mathematical logic; with
the result that mathematical logic becomes one branch of mathematics and is as
important as algebra and geometry. Mathematical logic has spread out many
branches such as model theory, set theory, recursion theory, and proof theory.
Logic is a primary tool in the study of computer science as well as in the
study of artificial intelligence. It is widely used in many domains, such as the
semasiology, the logic programming language, theory of software specification
and validation, theory of data base, theory of knowledge base, intelligent system,
and the study of robot. Objective of the computer science is essentially
coincident with the goal of logic. On the one hand, the objective of the computer
science is to simulate with the computer the function and behaviour of the human
brain, and bring the computer to be an extension of the brain. Here the simulation
of the function and behaviour of the human brain is infact to simulate the
thinking process of persons. On the other hand, logic is a subject focused on the
discipline and law of human's thinking. Therefore, the methods and results
obtained in logic are naturally selected and put to use during the research of
computer science. Furthermore, the intelligent behavior of human beings is
largely expressed by language and character; therefore, simulation of human
natural language is the point of departure for the simulation of human thinking
process.
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