Research proposal logical consequence and combinations of logics: fundaments and efficient applications

Abstract

The notion of logical inference is of fundamental importance not only in all forms of argumentation (be it formal or informal) but also in several aspects of computing. The study of logical inference for applications requires the understanding of combinations of logical mechanisms in several guises. This project is focused on specific methods for combining logics and their semantical, algebraic and computational aspects of the resulting combined systems. From the point of view of efficient applications, approximating propositional and quantified inferences is a promising approach in the taming of the intrinsic complexities involved. Intimately related to the quest for efficiency, quantum logics and quantum computation arise as an important research area. The formidable speedup of technology requires multidisciplinary researchers involved in the hard task of providing efficient alternatives to traditional methods of inference. To cope with this challenge, the project involves 22 researchers with different backgrounds from USP and UNICAMP with the support of 8 researchers from three international research institutions. (AU)