This course examines the role that formal logic plays  in representing and reasoning with commonsense knowledge. The course provides an introduction to both the logical tools to represent and to reason with commonsense knowledge, and a historical and philosophical analysis of the problems involved in this research area.

The course will focus on the following topics:

1) The semantic web view

2) The roots of the semantic web

3) Logic, meaning and artificial intelligence

3.1) The development of model-theoretic semantics

3.2) From model-theoretic semantics to cognitive semantics

3.3) Logic and artificial intelligence

3.4) The semantic networks and their evolution

4) Descriptive logic
 

There are no strict pre-requisites for this course, but a basic introduction to Logic might provide a very useful background.

Knowledge and understanding

After the course students should be able to understand and explain texts by history of semantic web, discuss some of the classical problems in this research area, use ttools available in this field.

Applying knowledge and understanding

After the course students should be able to discuss and evaluate various claims and arguments both in the specialistic debate and in the general contemporary cultural debate. Making judgements

After the course students should be able to make autonomous and original judgements about the arguments in the debate. To this end discussions in the classroom will be encouraged. Originality and autonomous judgement will be part of the final evalution of the student's performance

Communication skills

After the course students should be able to explain and discuss the relevant topics with conceptual and linguistic exactness, and to offer efficacious  and synthetic accounts of the subject matter. To this end, verbal interaction in the classroom and a careful reading and analysis of the relevant texts will be encouraged

Learning skills

After the course students should be acquainted with the subject matter and the method of research enough to be able to proceed on their own  in gathering further knowledge from the literature in the field and in contiguous fields. To this end they should also improve their ability to read English texts in the field.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Lectures: Lectiones Commandinianae

Teaching

Classroom lectures offering general frameworks, analyses of particular topics and exercises, comments to the relevant literature. Before, during and after the lecture questions, comments and discussions by the students are encouraged. Of course personal study at home will be equally important

Attendance

Students should attend classes regularly and actively, since the very beginning. Because of the analytic and often abstract character of the subject matter, active participation in classroom discussion will be very useful. In order to do that, and in general to follow the lectures successfully, it is strongly advised to do every day the homework suggested as preparation for the following lecture.

Course books

Martin Davis "The Universal Computer: The Road from Leibniz to Turing", CRC Press, 2018.

Tim Berners-Lee, James Hendler and Ora Lassila, "The Semantic Web", Scientific American, May 2001, pp. 35-43.

Thomason, Richmond, "Logic and Artificial Intelligence", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = .

Additional texts will be given to students during the lectures (the additional texts will also be available on the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it)

Assessment

Written and oral examination. You will be asked to analyze concepts, solve exercises and demonstrate theorems.
This dual-mode makes it possible to assess, in the best way, the achievement of the established formative objectives and competencies.
The final evaluation will take into account the knowledge acquired by the student in terms of analysis of concepts, definitions, theorems, problems, theories, techniques, methods, scientific instruments, etc. The student's ability to use conceptual tools to solve problems and prove/analyze theorems and active participation in the classroom will also contribute to the final evaluation. Finally, the student's capacity for rigorous analysis of themes and problems, autonomy in solving problems and proving theorems, personal and autonomous reworking of knowledge, and planning will be particularly well-appreciated.

All these elements will have equal weight in the assessment. They will be well distinguished on a scale of four levels (not sufficient, sufficient, good, excellent).
The final mark will be expressed on a range from 18/30 to 30/30. A sufficiently rigorous and clear exposition -using adequately specific terms- of the basic contents, concepts, methods, and the ability to solve simple exercises and prove simple theorems will be enough to obtain a sufficient evaluation and to pass the examination (18/30). The other marks will be calibrated on this basis.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

They will study on their own (individually or with others) according to the directions of this vademecum and if possible with the help which can be given by the teacher during office hours or through e-mail, Skype, etc. 

Attendance

In order to make up for the impossibility of attending classes, a hard and careful study is required. One should already possess good skills of autonomous learning and some capacity to read and understand logic and philosophical texts, at least at a basic level. Whenever possible, it is advisable to work with other students. 

Course books

Martin Davis "The Universal Computer: The Road from Leibniz to Turing", CRC Press, 2018.

Tim Berners-Lee, James Hendler and Ora Lassila, "The Semantic Web", Scientific American, May 2001, pp. 35-43.

Thomason, Richmond, "Logic and Artificial Intelligence", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = .

Additional texts will be given to students during the lectures (the additional texts will also be available on the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it)

Assessment

Written and oral examination. You will be asked to analyze concepts, solve exercises and demonstrate theorems.
This dual-mode makes it possible to assess, in the best way, the achievement of the established formative objectives and competencies.
The final evaluation will take into account the knowledge acquired by the student in terms of analysis of concepts, definitions, theorems, problems, theories, techniques, methods, scientific instruments, etc. The student's ability to use conceptual tools to solve problems and prove/analyze theorems will also contribute to the final evaluation. Finally, the student's capacity for rigorous analysis of themes and problems, autonomy in solving problems and proving theorems, personal and autonomous reworking of knowledge, and planning will be particularly well-appreciated.

All these elements will have equal weight in the assessment. They will be well distinguished on a scale of four levels (not sufficient, sufficient, good, excellent).
The final mark will be expressed on a range from 18/30 to 30/30. A sufficiently rigorous and clear exposition -using adequately specific terms- of the basic contents, concepts, methods, and the ability to solve simple exercises and prove simple theorems will be enough to obtain a sufficient evaluation and to pass the examination (18/30). The other marks will be calibrated on this basis.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Foreign students will be allowed to use English for questions and comments during the class, for all the required readings, and for the final examination.