arXiv subjects

Allen L. Mann

Publications and source records attributed to Allen L. Mann.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2016

A logical analysis of Monty Hall and Sleeping Beauty

Hintikka and Sandu's independence-friendly (IF) logic is a conservative extension of first-order logic that allows one to consider semantic games with imperfect information. In the present article, we first show how several variants of the Monty Hall problem can be modeled as semantic games for IF sentences. In the process, we extend IF logic to include semantic games with chance moves and dub this extension stochastic IF logic. Finally, we use stochastic IF logic to analyze the Sleeping Beauty problem, leading to the conclusion that the thirders are correct while identifying the main error in the halfers' argument.

math.GM↗

arXiv2008

"Iff" is not expressible in independence-friendly logic

Ordinary first-order logic has the property that two formulas ϕand ψhave the same meaning in a structure if and only if the formula ``ϕiff ψ'' is true in the structure. We prove that independence-friendly logic does not have this property.

math.LO↗

arXiv2008

Perfect IFG-formulas

IFG logic is a variant of the independence-friendly logic of Hintikka and Sandu. We answer the question: ``Which IFG-formulas are equivalent to ordinary first-order formulas?'' We use the answer to show that the ordinary cylindric set algebra over a structure can be embedded into a reduct of the IFG-cylindric set algebra over the structure.

math.LO↗

arXiv2007

Independence-friendly cylindric set algebras

Independence-friendly logic is a conservative extension of first-order logic that has the same expressive power as existential second-order logic. In her Ph.D. thesis, Dechesne introduces a variant of independence-friendly logic called IFG logic. We attempt to algebraize IFG logic in the same way that Boolean algebra is the algebra of propositional logic and cylindric algebra is the algebra of first-order logic. We define independence-friendly cylindric set algebras and prove two main results. First, every independence-friendly cylindric set algebra over a structure has an underlying Kleene algebra. Moreover, the class of such underlying Kleene algebras generates the variety of all Kleene algebras. Hence the equational theory of the class of Kleene algebras that underly an independence-friendly cylindric set algebra is finitely axiomatizable. Second, every one-dimensional independence-friendly cylindric set algebra over a structure has an underlying monadic Kleene algebra. However, the class of such underlying monadic Kleene algebras does not generate the variety of all monadic Kleene algebras. Finally, we offer a conjecture about which subvariety of monadic Kleene algebras the class of such monadic Kleene algebras does generate.

math.LO↗