(2) Consider next an example of an ill-typed variable. Suppose we are interested in the roles played by people in some community; we could not introduce an observable standing for those beauticians who depilate just those people who do not …The introduction of LoAs is often an important step prior to mathematical modelling of the phenomenon under consideration. However, even when that further step is not taken, the introduction of LoAs remains a crucial tool in conceptual anal…
Jon Barwise
mathematician · 2 mentions across 1 reading
In this course
Jon Barwise was a logician and philosopher of logic whose work on situation semantics and levels of abstraction provides tools for thinking through self-reference and type problems in formal systems. The course readings invoke his framework—particularly around levels of abstraction (LoAs)—to navigate paradoxes like the barber paradox and to establish careful conceptual distinctions before attempting mathematical modeling of complex systems. His influence appears primarily as a methodological resource for avoiding ill-typed variables and self-referential tangles when formalizing phenomena in AI and cybernetic contexts.
Mentioned in 1 reading
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