Paraconsistent Logic
October 1st, 2007
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In the classical logic typically applied to mathematics, a single contradiction is fatal, as it allows anything and everything - including its opposite- to be derived. However, real-world situations such as large software products often feature irresolvable conflicts, from which we would not wish to draw such broad conclusions. Reasoning about such systems motivates the study of paraconsistent logic. The linked article examines the various ways in which the explosion of inconsistency can arise, and thus which rules of inference need to be discarded for such logics.
My interest in this topic arises from a talk I recently attended by Carl Hewitt, and wading through two dozen short essays on Russell’s Paradox by my new students!