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Re: Mathematical Logic
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Hi there Andrew,
I would strongly recommend mathematical logic if you are sure its your kind of
thing! However, I am always wary of recommending it, because the introductory
courses can be very dry. (Also, mathematical logic can sometimes be used to
talk about model theory, set theory, recursion theory all of which I would
highly recommend).
Basically my background is a degree in maths and philosophy. So in my first year
I did logic taught by philosophers: propositional calculus, predicate calculus
and soundness, completeness and compactness for both languages (with a little
bit of philosophy of language). In the second year I basically did *exactly* the
same syllabus again, but this time taught by the mathematics department. But
despite this, it was *very* different. The mathematician way is much more
pendantic and most of all fiddly, and I did not enjoy this particular course
very much (although its compliment, set theory, was probably my favourite
subject). However, this course is very important, and it paves the way for the
interesting stuff that comes after. For example there are Gödel's Incompleteness
theorems, or if you move towards model theory the Lowenheim-Skolem theorems.
Then of course it will be helpful if you want to get into set theory or the
philosophy of maths.
In terms of books, the Enderton is good, so is Hamilton 'Logic for
Mathematicians' (I think that's the name). Also 'Logic and Computability' by
Boolos, Jeffrey and Burgess is a nice read and it covers a lot.
Anyway, just check the syllabus to see what it says. It may well look exactly
like the course you've done with the philosophy department but I can assure you
it will still be worth doing. If it starts talking about the incompleteness
theorems, Gödel's constructible universe and so on, the jump might be a big one.
Hope that helps,
Andrew
> To reply to this message or start a new topic please email: BUPS-DIS@bups.org
>
>
> Has anyone on this list taken mathematical logic? If so, I'd be
> interested to hear your experiences. In your experience, how much of a
> conceptual leap was it from first-order predicate logic? Are there any
> books you'd especially recommend (I have Enderton's classic 'A
> Mathematical Introduction to Logic')? Are there any areas of mathematics
> you'd recommend brushing up on before starting a mathematical logic
> course? Which areas did you find most challenging? Would you recommend
> mathematical logic?
>
> Cheers.
>
>
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>
--
Andrew Bacon
Lady Margaret Hall
07830048336
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~lady1900
Browse or search the BUPS-DIS archives, or unsubscribe from the mailing list at: http://www.bups.org/mailinglist.shtml