Robotics Reference
In-Depth Information
For example, we might start with the statements
All men are human
Socratesisaman
and the desired conclusion might be
Socrates is human
Boole showed that if valid statements expressed in the language of logic
are translated into Boolean algebra, it is straightforward to use them to
generate other valid statements.
Ramon Llull
Probably the first person to attempt to mechanize human thought proc-
esses was the thirteenth-century Spanish hermit and scholar Ramon Llull,
who was born in Palma de Mallorca some time between 1232 and 1236.
At that time Mallorca was strongly multicultural, with perhaps a third of
its population representing the Muslim faith and a smaller minority of
Jews influencing the economic and cultural life of the island.
Llull became a Franciscan philosopher, one who has claimed a place
in the history of logic even though his contributions were more notable
for stimulating the ideas of later logicians than for achieving any useful
proofs. He was something of a controversial figure in his day, claiming
a logical basis for religious belief while being regarded by some as an
alchemist and mystic, sometimes derided and sometimes pitied because
his ideas were not properly understood.
Llull's life was one of contrasts. In his early teens he became a page
boy to King James the First of Aragon and as a result achieved a position
of some influence in the king's court. He took advantage of his position
to lead a notoriously dissolute and lustful youth, only to see the light,
confess his sins and convert to the life of a dedicated Christian. Legend
has it that in 1274, aged about 40, Llull climbed Mount Randa, near
the city of Palma de Mallorca, in search of spiritual refreshment. There,
after a few days of contemplation, he decided to attempt to convert the
entire Muslim world, and as many Jews as possible, to Christianity. The
crusades had failed to achieve this, as had all attempts to convince the
“infidels” that their own religious beliefs were false. And so Llull set about
developing a system based on logic, aimed at proving that the beliefs of
Christianity were true.
