Astrolinguistics Design of a Linguistic System for Interstellar Communication Based on Logic

248 Pages·2013·2.502 MB·English

by  Ollongren, Alexander

Astrolinguistics

Alexander Ollongren
Astrolinguistics
Design of a Linguistic System for
Interstellar Communication Based on Logic
Alexander Ollongren
Advanced Computer Science
Leiden University
Leiden
The Netherlands
ISBN 978-1-4614-5467-0 ISBN 978-1-4614-5468-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-5468-7
Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012945935
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To the memory of Prof. Dr. Hans Freudenthal
and to Gunvor Ollongren

Preface
In my perception the author of the present book appeared all of a sudden “from
elsewhere” on the scene of academics and others concerned with various projects in
the fi eld of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). This was in 1998. Dr.
Ollongren’s entrance in the fi eld was due to a change in his research interests. They
had apparently shifted from dynamical astronomy and theoretical computer science
to the topic of the art and science of communication with extraterrestrial intelli-
gence (CETI)—closely related to my work at the SETI Institute. His approach was
and is, however, completely different from mine where human psychology is always
prominently present in the background. This emeritus professor, astronomer, and
theoretician whom I got to know, had a keen interest and experience in mathematics
and logic. He seemed, though hesitatingly, prepared to consider formally modeling
psychological aspects of human behavior in connection with interstellar message
construction for possible contacts with alien highly developed intelligent societies.
I, on the other hand, recognized immediately that Dr. Ollongren’s approach for the
design of a L ingua Cosmica was fundamentally new, rested on a solid and sound
base in logic, and carried great potential for applications. His LINCOS has only
very little in common with the interesting language for cosmic intercourse of the
same name introduced in 1960 by his fellow countryman and colleague Professor
Hans Freudenthal.
The present book describes the new LINCOS, also at work. This l ingua with a
simple formal language at the base is actually a system because of the multilevel
structure as explained in the book. Certain aspects of the system are in my view
most remarkable. The fact that LINCOS assertions can (and need to) be veri fi ed
within LINCOS itself means that the system is strongly self-contained—a property
of natural languages, but unusual for formal systems. The implication of this prop-
erty (in fact considered to be a requirement in the design) is that formal assertions
are always correct. This aspect in its turn has important consequences for the prob-
lem of decoding and interpretation. An alien receiver of a message coded in
Ollongren’s LINCOS can in principle apply a universal semantic engine for unrav-
eling structural properties of the system. Furthermore there is the prominent absence
of logical reasoning according to t ertium non datur (the rejection of the law of the
vii
viii Preface
excluded middle)—not one of the fi rst concerns in my research in psychological
aspects of human reasoning fi guring in the topic of construction of interstellar mes-
sages. The overall most important aspect and viewpoint of the material in this book
is, however, that the linguistic system designed and employed is constructive and
deterministic. An extension of the typing system employed to weak typing (involv-
ing consequently non-determinism) and symbolic computing is innovative. Ways
and means (with roots in intuitionism) for attaining all of this are explained in some
detail. The erected framework with a beauty of its own is most useful for applica-
tions in and development of CETI.
In my opinion efforts in the fi eld of construction of messages for ETI should also
take into consideration possibilities of symbolically coding human behavior.
Fortunately LINCOS has in the realm of declarative (i.e. introductive) sentences a
practically unlimited capacity of describing s tatic aspects of this kind. This is for
example illustrated in Dr. Ollongren’s paper with a treatment of human morality in
my as yet unpublished book. In addition there is also a potential for describing
dynamic interactions between humans. Examples of these are provided in the pres-
ent book. Humans exchanging information is one case studied and explained. Since
human behavior often (indeed not always) exhibits logic structure, the new L ingua
Cosmica provides a powerful apparatus for formal analysis of some classes of
behavioral actions. Products of such analyses can in turn be sublimated in messages
for ETI.
I was very interested to learn that Springer has agreed to publish the present book
as the relatively new discipline called astrolinguistics by the author is gaining
importance all the time due to advances in observational astrophysics, astrochemis-
try, and astrobiology, but of course also cosmology. Building stones for life as we
know it exist in interstellar space. It is no exaggeration to state today that our galaxy
apparently teems with planets; there is ample observational evidence of that. On at
least one habitable planet the symbolic species living there is concerned with devel-
oping methods and means enabling them to contact other completely unknown
symbolic intelligent species. The views taken and the material presented in the pres-
ent book can play a prominent role in the nontrivial efforts on Earth in this fi eld. I
certainly hope that the book will attract a wide circle of readers and will help to
advance future work on the construction of interstellar messages. I wish the book a
bright future.
Professor Douglas A. Vakoch PhD, SETI Institute and California Institute of
Integral Studies, Mountain View, California, United States
Contents
Part I Calculus of Constructions
1 Types and Declarations ......................................................................... 3
Intention ................................................................................................... 3
Typed Entities .......................................................................................... 3
Functions .................................................................................................. 5
References ................................................................................................ 7
2 Functions and Induction........................................................................ 9
Intention ................................................................................................... 9
Constructing Entities ................................................................................ 9
Inductive Entities ..................................................................................... 11
Facts ......................................................................................................... 14
Connectives, Continued ........................................................................... 16
Typing Existence and Equality ................................................................ 17
Booleans ................................................................................................... 19
3 Hypotheses .............................................................................................. 23
Intention ................................................................................................... 23
Contradictions .......................................................................................... 23
Double negation ....................................................................................... 25
Hypotheses ............................................................................................... 28
Reference ................................................................................................. 28
4 Higher Orders and Inductive Structures ............................................. 29
Intention ................................................................................................... 29
The Combinators ...................................................................................... 30
Bounded Matrjoshka ................................................................................ 32
Syntactic Structures ................................................................................. 35
Reference ................................................................................................. 38
ix
x Contents
Part II Facts
5 Simple Facts ............................................................................................ 41
Intention ................................................................................................... 41
Elementary Facts ...................................................................................... 41
Non-elementary Facts, Elimination Applied ........................................... 43
Annotation 1 ............................................................................................. 44
Annotation 2 ............................................................................................. 45
Existence Revisited .................................................................................. 45
6 Compounds ............................................................................................. 47
Intention ................................................................................................... 47
Commutativity, Transitivity and Distributivity ........................................ 47
Modus Tollens .......................................................................................... 48
Logic in Sentences ................................................................................... 48
Complexity of the Stage ........................................................................... 52
7 Aristotelian Theatre ............................................................................... 53
Intention, Logic of Sentences .................................................................. 53
Simple Cases ............................................................................................ 54
Aristotelian Conversions .......................................................................... 56
Logical Implications ................................................................................ 57
Figures ...................................................................................................... 60
Reference ................................................................................................. 63
8 Wittgenstein’s Theatre ........................................................................... 65
Intention ................................................................................................... 65
Introduction .............................................................................................. 65
Verification Machinery ............................................................................. 67
Setting the Stage ...................................................................................... 68
Simple Facts Verified ............................................................................... 69
Less Simple Facts Verified ....................................................................... 70
Generalisation, More Advanced Verifications ......................................... 73
Notes on Computer Implementation ........................................................ 74
Part III Annotations in LINCOS
9 Logic Contents of Texts ......................................................................... 77
Intention ................................................................................................... 77
Considerations .......................................................................................... 77
An Ancient Text ....................................................................................... 78
Message Content ...................................................................................... 78
Simonides’ Definition of Justice .............................................................. 80
Thrasymachos’ Definition of Justice ....................................................... 80
Socrates’ Definition of Justice ................................................................. 82
Discussion ................................................................................................ 84
References ................................................................................................ 84