From The Theme
SOCIAL AND COMPUTING SCIENCES

WHAT IF?
What if we could explore the intersection between communication, computation and cognition?

WHAT WE SET OUT TO DO
We set out to build research networks between people in Stanford and Europe, and together explore links between language, information and cognitive science.

WHAT WE FOUND
We organized two interdisciplinary workshops, one in Amsterdam and one at Stanford, which laid the foundation for ongoing international project groups.

The workshop programs addressed topics at the intersection of logic, language, information and cognitive science. Topics included:
a) Dynamic semantics, psychology and game logics.
b) Integration between symbolic and visual information.
c) Optimality theory as a unifying framework for logic and neural processing.
d) Context in information processing and design of symbolic systems.
e) Psychology of reasoning, semantic models in the symbolic tradition.
f) Machine learning and actual learning.
g) Semantics of language and mind
h) Neural net based models of cognition
i) Neural basis of visual phenomena

Outcomes and follow up activities leveraging these strengthened interdisciplinary international relationships included the emergence of a “Mood and Modality” research group, the organization of an interdisciplinary conference at Stanford (Context 2003), and the exploration of new research lines in the integration of neural and symbolic processing.

With financial support from both institutes, we have organized two very lively interdisciplinary workshops, one in Amsterdam and one at Stanford, which laid the foundation for some international project groups that will continue cooperation, and initiate new grant proposals.

LEARN MORE
CSLI Website

1st North American Summer School in Logic, Language, and Information (NASSLLI) with the 11th Logic, Language, and Computation Colloquium – held at Stanford University, June, 2002

PEOPLE BEHIND THE PROJECT
Johan van Benthem is a Henry Waldgrave Stuart professor of philosophy at Stanford University, a University Professor Emeritus of Pure and Applied Logic at the University of Amsterdam and Changjiang National Professor of Humanities at Tsinghua University Beijing. He has worked in modal logic, temporal logic, logical semantics and syntax of natural language, as well as dynamic logics of information, computation, and agency. His current main interest is the theme of intelligent interaction, at the interface of logic, computer science, cognitive science, and game theory. He was the founding director of the ‘Institute for Logic, Language and Computation’ (ILLC) at the University of Amsterdam, and the first Chair and First Honorary Member of the European Association for Language, Logic and Information (FoLLI). He is a member of the Academia Europaea (1991), the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences (1992), Institut International de Philosophie (2001), and Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen (2002).