Philosophy Sofja Kovalevskaja Award for Hitoshi Omori
Non-classical logic tolerates contradictions.
Dr. Hitoshi Omori, who has been honoured with the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, is researching at the interface between philosophy and mathematics. His work, which he is going to conduct at the Chair for Logic and Epistemology held by Professor Heinrich Wansing at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), will be funded with 1.59 million euros over the next five years.
Inconsistencies welcome
In classical logic, the principle applies that from a contradiction you may deduce anything whatsoever. Inconsistent assumptions thus trivialise the relation of the valid inference. Hitoshi Omori is an internationally recognised expert on non-classical logic, especially on logical systems that tolerate inconsistencies in valid inferences. The aim is to analyse how arguments and non-trivial theories may be constructed on the basis of inconsistent information with which we are frequently confronted. In order to achieve that, it is necessary to possess a comprehensive understanding of inconsistency-tolerant logics, so-called paraconsistent logics.
At RUB, Hitoshi Omori will use the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award to develop a systematic understanding of paraconsistent logic and to analyse how it relates to the history of philosophy.