Logic, Language and Computationin a Multi-Cultural Perspective

Date & Time:
Friday October 19th, 2012, Maison Franco-Japonaise (Ebisu), room 601, 6F

Saturday October 20th, 2012, Keio University (Mita Campus), East Bldg G-Sec lab, 6F

Presentation:
The aim of this workshop is to investigate the relations between logic,

language and computation formalisms and to revisit them in a

multi-cultural perspective.

In this year which celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of the

mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst and computer scientist Alan

Turing, the scientific and cultural endeavor starting with modern logic

at the end of the 19th century, continuing with the development of

mathematical formalisms of computation and then actual computers in the

mid-20th century, and culminating with the digital revolution of the

last two decades is now well-known on both the historical and conceptual

sides. This story however is rooted in the Western history of ideas and

seemingly intertwined with it. But how is all this dependent or

independent of its cultural background? Can we look at some other

traditions, in particular in Asia, which would have venture in other

directions?

Language is indeed a key notion to consider in the development of

mechanical computations, as nowadays computers are not mere number

crunchers but first and foremost language-based machines, from the core

use of programming languages to the development of the worldwide web.

But there is a large variety of languages, spoken, written, and

mechanized; and their different characteristics and interplays with

cultural issues are rich and complex. Investigating cultural aspects in

the development of logic, language and computation could bring new

hindsight not only about these core domains, but more generally about

the grounds on which our current societies are based.

Registration:
Attendance to the workshop is free but the number of seats is limited.

Advance registration is required by sending an email to the workshop

organizer: Philippe Codognet, Japanese-French Laboratory for

Informatics, Email: codognet@is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Sponsored by:
CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research)
Maison Franco-Japonaise, Tokyo
Research Centre for thinking and behavioral judgment, Keio University
Global Research Centre for logic and sensibility, Keio University

program