Computer Mathematics and Logic

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Computer Mathematics and Logic COMPUTER MATHEMATICS AND LOGIC STEVE KOLLMANSBERGER http://www.kolls.net/cml South Puget Sound Community College Computer Mathematics and Logic Compiled on September 1, 2011. Copyright ⃝c 2011 Steven J Kollmansberger For information contact [email protected] Or visit http://www.kolls.net/ This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. Typeset in LATEX. Dedication This work is dedicated to those who shaped my academic ambitions and provided personal encouragement along the way. My Parents Denise Sumner Dr. Kent Jones, Ph.D. Dr. Susan Mabry, Ph.D. Dr. Michael Quinn, Ph.D. Dr. Martin Erwig, Ph.D. Lisa Kollmansberger And to all my students who have encouraged my efforts to provide the best educational opportunities. iii Preface The breadth of topics in computer mathematics and logic have the potential to be among the most interesting computational subjects you will study. Take out your phone. Start typing a text message. How are the characters and words represented (Chapter 12)? How does the phone calculate how many more characters you can type in the message (Chapter 10)? Attach a photo. How is an image stored inside the phone (Chapter 13)? Send the message and image across the wireless network. How is the information sent quickly (Chapter 16) and how are errors prevented (Chapter 15)? How is the phone’s software designed (Chapters 6, 19)? Even with such a small processor, how were the designers able to make sure it would perform fast enough (Chapter 20)? Imagine the insides of the phone. What are the “chips” made of (Chapter 8) and how do they make the phone perform all its tasks (Chapter 17)? This book offers to take you on a conceptual journey starting with only your knowledge of basic algebra, all the way through the techniques of designers and programmers, and to explain along the way how the miracle of modern computation is achieved. This book was borne out of frustration with existing offerings in the computer mathematics and logic arena. Many books are written for upper division undergraduates or graduate students. Many books focus on limited subsets of the topics presented herein, or stray far and wide into unrelated topics. Few books are willing to take on a broad spectrum of computer math at an introductory level. Of books that do venture into such territory, many are painfully dated, dis- cussing with gusto obsolete encodings and omitting modern standards. This book is designed for the student with little to no computer programming or college math ex- perience, but who has completed high school algebra. Each topic is presented with an emphasis on conceptual understanding; as a result, not all topics are explored in complete depth. Spe- cific advanced texts on each topic should be consulted should the student wish to delve further beyond the basics. In order to remain within the basic algebra requirement, certain subtopics requiring more advanced math have been omitted. In all cases explanations emphasize practical and down-to-earth approaches rather than highly technical mathematical definitions. iv Layout Definitions are shown with the dictionary icon. All def- Throughout this text, pages will be divided into two initions also appear in the columns: the main column contains the primary text, glossary in the back. and the sidebar contains highlights, placed into boxes. Definitions are used to give a concise meaning of a term Insights give helping hints that is likely to appear again throughout the chapter for problem solving, or or beyond. In all cases, short and practical definitions possible pitfalls to watch are preferred over detailed and precise technical math- out for. ematical definitions. Certain mathematical properties or formulas may be shown using the math box in the sidebar. These for- mulas may not be essential to being able to work with the concepts described, but understanding them (and why they are true!) is likely to be a great benefit. You If n is negative, and p is should work on discovering why these formulas are positive, then n < p true instead of simply accepting them at face value. In some chapters, computer software has been em- The author’s website is ployed to assist in the creation of figures. In other http://www.kolls.net cases, various websites or software is recommended to help work through certain types of problems. Links for recommended websites and software will appear in a box with the computer icon. The computer icon may also be used to indicate computer or programmer re- lated notes or limitations. Example 0.1 • Many concepts will be illustrated with examples. To help avoid confusion, examples of more than few sentences in length will be marked and num- bered. v CONTENTS I Sets and Counting IV Data Representation 1 Sets ................ 2 13 Images and Color . 131 2 Counting .............. 9 14 Bitwise Operations and Masking . 145 3 Venn Diagrams . 19 15 Error Correcting Codes . 155 4 Simplifying Set Expressions . 27 16 Compression . 168 II Boolean Logic V Algorithms 5 Logical Operators and Truth Tables . 37 17 Digital Logic . 170 6 Manipulating Logical Expressions . 48 18 Finite Automata . 196 7 Decision Tables . 62 19 Flowcharts . 197 8 Logic Circuits . 73 20 Analysis of Algorithms . 223 21 Expression Trees . 238 III Numbers and Letters 9 Number Systems . 90 VI Supporting Material 10 Integer Numbers . 100 A Solutions . 240 11 Floating Point Numbers . 112 B Bibliography . 373 12 Unicode and ASCII . 123 C Glossary . 377 vi PART I Sets and Counting 1 Sets ................ 2 3 Venn Diagrams . 19 1.1 Set Notation . 3 3.1 Set Operations . 20 1.2 Set Operations . 4 3.2 Other Set Operations . 22 1.3 Exercises .......... 8 3.3 Creating a Venn Diagram . 22 2 Counting .............. 9 3.4 Higher Order Venn Dia- grams . 24 2.1 Additive and Multiplica- tive Counting . 9 3.5 Exercises . 26 2.2 Preliminaries . 10 4 Simplifying Set Expressions . 27 2.3 Two Key Questions . 12 4.1 Algebra Laws of Sets . 27 2.4 Sample Applications . 12 4.2 Explanation of Laws . 28 2.5 Explanation of Formulas . 14 4.3 Applying Algebra Laws . 30 2.6 Partition Rule . 17 4.4 Exercises . 35 2.7 Exercises . 18 Chapter 1 Sets A set is an unordered collection of items without du- plicates. When we say “item”, we refer to any type of thing: a set could consist of numbers, of letters, of ani- mals, of planets, of people, of buildings, and so on. For example, all the people who have read this book form a set. All positive numbers also form a set. You could define the set of all elephants in India. How about the Set: an unordered collec- set of pink flying elephants? This is also fine, but it is tion of items without dupli- likely that this set contains no elements. A set which cates. contains no elements is referred to as the empty set. Empty set: the set contain- When referring to sets it is helpful to always keep in ing no elements. mind the universe for those sets. The universe is usu- ally the largest set of items of the same type as the sets Universe: the set contain- in question. In some cases, the universe may be im- ing all possible items under plicit. In other cases, it should be defined directly. For consideration. example, in the set of all people who have read this book, the universe is likely to be all people. With the set Finite Set: a set containing a of all elephants in India, is the universe all elephants in limited (although possibly the world? Or is it all animals in India? Or... In such a very large) number of ele- case, and in most cases, it is best to define the universe ments. explicitly so there is no possibility of confusion. Infinite Set: a set contain- Sets may be finite (meaning they have a limited num- ing an unlimited number of ber of elements) or infinite. Finite sets would include elements, usually defined all people on planet Earth. Infinite sets are usually mathematically. numerical and include sets like all positive numbers. Even sets which appear “small” could be infinite: for example, the set of all reals between 1 and 2 is infinite. 2 SECTION 1.1 j Set Notation 3 1.1 Set Notation To facilitate discussion, a standard notation is usually employed to describe sets. A set is often assigned a name, usually just a single uppercase letter. The enu- meration (list of elements) of the set itself is wrapped in curly brackets and the elements are listed out, sep- arated by commas. For example, consider the set of all whole numbers between 1 and 10, inclusive. If we called this set A, we could write it: A = f1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10g Unlike lists, sets have no Keep in mind that sets are unordered, which means ordering. The sequence that the sequence of elements written has no meaning. that elements are written in If we define B as follows: is coincidental and has no meaning. B = f10; 1; 9; 2; 8; 3; 7; 4; 6; 5g Equivalent: two sets which Then A = B (or, A is equivalent to B) because both sets contain the same elements contain the same elements. Whenever two sets contain are equivalent. the same elements, they are said to be equivalent. The two sets defined above, A and B are both finite sets described using enumeration.
Recommended publications
  • Chapter 1 Logic and Set Theory
    Chapter 1 Logic and Set Theory To criticize mathematics for its abstraction is to miss the point entirely. Abstraction is what makes mathematics work. If you concentrate too closely on too limited an application of a mathematical idea, you rob the mathematician of his most important tools: analogy, generality, and simplicity. – Ian Stewart Does God play dice? The mathematics of chaos In mathematics, a proof is a demonstration that, assuming certain axioms, some statement is necessarily true. That is, a proof is a logical argument, not an empir- ical one. One must demonstrate that a proposition is true in all cases before it is considered a theorem of mathematics. An unproven proposition for which there is some sort of empirical evidence is known as a conjecture. Mathematical logic is the framework upon which rigorous proofs are built. It is the study of the principles and criteria of valid inference and demonstrations. Logicians have analyzed set theory in great details, formulating a collection of axioms that affords a broad enough and strong enough foundation to mathematical reasoning. The standard form of axiomatic set theory is denoted ZFC and it consists of the Zermelo-Fraenkel (ZF) axioms combined with the axiom of choice (C). Each of the axioms included in this theory expresses a property of sets that is widely accepted by mathematicians. It is unfortunately true that careless use of set theory can lead to contradictions. Avoiding such contradictions was one of the original motivations for the axiomatization of set theory. 1 2 CHAPTER 1. LOGIC AND SET THEORY A rigorous analysis of set theory belongs to the foundations of mathematics and mathematical logic.
    [Show full text]
  • But Not Both: the Exclusive Disjunction in Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)’
    ‘But Not Both: The Exclusive Disjunction in Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)’ Ursula Hackett Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford [email protected] This paper has been accepted for publication and will appear in a revised form, subsequent to editorial input by Springer, in Quality and Quantity, International Journal of Methodology. Copyright: Springer (2013) Abstract The application of Boolean logic using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is becoming more frequent in political science but is still in its relative infancy. Boolean ‘AND’ and ‘OR’ are used to express and simplify combinations of necessary and sufficient conditions. This paper draws out a distinction overlooked by the QCA literature: the difference between inclusive- and exclusive-or (OR and XOR). It demonstrates that many scholars who have used the Boolean OR in fact mean XOR, discusses the implications of this confusion and explains the applications of XOR to QCA. Although XOR can be expressed in terms of OR and AND, explicit use of XOR has several advantages: it mirrors natural language closely, extends our understanding of equifinality and deals with mutually exclusive clusters of sufficiency conditions. XOR deserves explicit treatment within QCA because it emphasizes precisely the values that make QCA attractive to political scientists: contextualization, confounding variables, and multiple and conjunctural causation. The primary function of the phrase ‘either…or’ is ‘to emphasize the indifference of the two (or more) things…but a secondary function is to emphasize the mutual exclusiveness’, that is, either of the two, but not both (Simpson 2004). The word ‘or’ has two meanings: Inclusive ‘or’ describes the relation ‘A or B or both’, and can also be written ‘A and/or B’.
    [Show full text]
  • Working with Logic
    Working with Logic Jordan Paschke September 2, 2015 One of the hardest things to learn when you begin to write proofs is how to keep track of everything that is going on in a theorem. Using a proof by contradiction, or proving the contrapositive of a proposition, is sometimes the easiest way to move forward. However negating many different hypotheses all at once can be tricky. This worksheet is designed to help you adjust between thinking in “English” and thinking in “math.” It should hopefully serve as a reference sheet where you can quickly look up how the various logical operators and symbols interact with each other. Logical Connectives Let us consider the two propositions: P =“Itisraining.” Q =“Iamindoors.” The following are called logical connectives,andtheyarethemostcommonwaysof combining two or more propositions (or only one, in the case of negation) into a new one. Negation (NOT):ThelogicalnegationofP would read as • ( P )=“Itisnotraining.” ¬ Conjunction (AND):ThelogicalconjunctionofP and Q would be read as • (P Q) = “It is raining and I am indoors.” ∧ Disjunction (OR):ThelogicaldisjunctionofP and Q would be read as • (P Q)=“ItisrainingorIamindoors.” ∨ Implication (IF...THEN):ThelogicalimplicationofP and Q would be read as • (P = Q)=“Ifitisraining,thenIamindoors.” ⇒ 1 Biconditional (IF AND ONLY IF):ThelogicalbiconditionalofP and Q would • be read as (P Q)=“ItisrainingifandonlyifIamindoors.” ⇐⇒ Along with the implication (P = Q), there are three other related conditional state- ments worth mentioning: ⇒ Converse:Thelogicalconverseof(P = Q)wouldbereadas • ⇒ (Q = P )=“IfIamindoors,thenitisraining.” ⇒ Inverse:Thelogicalinverseof(P = Q)wouldbereadas • ⇒ ( P = Q)=“Ifitisnotraining,thenIamnotindoors.” ¬ ⇒¬ Contrapositive:Thelogicalcontrapositionof(P = Q)wouldbereadas • ⇒ ( Q = P )=“IfIamnotindoors,thenIitisnotraining.” ¬ ⇒¬ It is worth mentioning that the implication (P = Q)andthecontrapositive( Q = P ) are logically equivalent.
    [Show full text]
  • Exclusive Or from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
    New features Log in / create account Article Discussion Read Edit View history Exclusive or From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "XOR" redirects here. For other uses, see XOR (disambiguation), XOR gate. Navigation "Either or" redirects here. For Kierkegaard's philosophical work, see Either/Or. Main page The logical operation exclusive disjunction, also called exclusive or (symbolized XOR, EOR, Contents EXOR, ⊻ or ⊕, pronounced either / ks / or /z /), is a type of logical disjunction on two Featured content operands that results in a value of true if exactly one of the operands has a value of true.[1] A Current events simple way to state this is "one or the other but not both." Random article Donate Put differently, exclusive disjunction is a logical operation on two logical values, typically the values of two propositions, that produces a value of true only in cases where the truth value of the operands differ. Interaction Contents About Wikipedia Venn diagram of Community portal 1 Truth table Recent changes 2 Equivalencies, elimination, and introduction but not is Contact Wikipedia 3 Relation to modern algebra Help 4 Exclusive “or” in natural language 5 Alternative symbols Toolbox 6 Properties 6.1 Associativity and commutativity What links here 6.2 Other properties Related changes 7 Computer science Upload file 7.1 Bitwise operation Special pages 8 See also Permanent link 9 Notes Cite this page 10 External links 4, 2010 November Print/export Truth table on [edit] archived The truth table of (also written as or ) is as follows: Venn diagram of Create a book 08-17094 Download as PDF No.
    [Show full text]
  • Jargon File, Version 4.0.0, 24 Jul 1996
    JARGON FILE, VERSION 4.0.0, 24 JUL 1996 This is the Jargon File, a comprehensive compendium of hacker slang illuminating many aspects of hackish tradition, folklore, and humor. This document (the Jargon File) is in the public domain, to be freely used, shared, and modified. There are (by intention) no legal restraints on what you can do with it, but there are traditions about its proper use to which many hackers are quite strongly attached. Please extend the courtesy of proper citation when you quote the File, ideally with a version number, as it will change and grow over time. (Examples of appropriate citation form: "Jargon File 4.0.0" or "The on-line hacker Jargon File, version 4.0.0, 24 JUL 1996".) The Jargon File is a common heritage of the hacker culture. Over the years a number of individuals have volunteered considerable time to maintaining the File and been recognized by the net at large as editors of it. Editorial responsibilities include: to collate contributions and suggestions from others; to seek out corroborating information; to cross-reference related entries; to keep the file in a consistent format; and to announce and distribute updated versions periodically. Current volunteer editors include: Eric Raymond [email protected] Although there is no requirement that you do so, it is considered good form to check with an editor before quoting the File in a published work or commercial product. We may have additional information that would be helpful to you and can assist you in framing your quote to reflect not only the letter of the File but its spirit as well.
    [Show full text]
  • A Conditional Statement with a True Converse
    A Conditional Statement With A True Converse Blithe Haley soot her principals so hermetically that Sting treks very disjointedly. If first-born or limey Webster usually chugged his hosiery openly.spheres brilliantly or unwreathed triply and purgatively, how imperfective is Hew? Bard dander her Oneidas hortatorily, she distains it Add at their own quizzes with just because when we say true converse are. Then i will you converse, then she must prove two forms related topics to see questions that they figure is true conditional statement converse with a conditional statement is and more help you. If you do not live in Texas, and happy studying! Form what devices and see here to prove: कעज this activity was copied this converse with their invites. Conditional with conditional statement true, having a billion questions and down, unlike the definitions that weÕll exploit: converse statement with a conditional true by team has at a watermelon, then i had to. Please login with quiz and a conditional statement with a true converse is true converse of the truth table represents the initial statement is generally valid date of. Assigned to join this is a math by following instruction sheet. Actual examples about Conditional Statements in a fun and. No elephants are forgetful. Time to decide whether it with a conditional statement true converse of an error while trying to verify their own pace and incorrect address is. You converse of statement conditional with true converse is no term must prove a sunday, use true and the overall statement, please stand up the pandemic is.
    [Show full text]
  • Set Theory and Logic in Greater Detail
    Chapter 1 Logic and Set Theory To criticize mathematics for its abstraction is to miss the point entirely. Abstraction is what makes mathematics work. If you concentrate too closely on too limited an application of a mathematical idea, you rob the mathematician of his most important tools: analogy, generality, and simplicity. – Ian Stewart Does God play dice? The mathematics of chaos In mathematics, a proof is a demonstration that, assuming certain axioms, some statement is necessarily true. That is, a proof is a logical argument, not an empir- ical one. One must demonstrate that a proposition is true in all cases before it is considered a theorem of mathematics. An unproven proposition for which there is some sort of empirical evidence is known as a conjecture. Mathematical logic is the framework upon which rigorous proofs are built. It is the study of the principles and criteria of valid inference and demonstrations. Logicians have analyzed set theory in great details, formulating a collection of axioms that affords a broad enough and strong enough foundation to mathematical reasoning. The standard form of axiomatic set theory is the Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory, together with the axiom of choice. Each of the axioms included in this the- ory expresses a property of sets that is widely accepted by mathematicians. It is unfortunately true that careless use of set theory can lead to contradictions. Avoid- ing such contradictions was one of the original motivations for the axiomatization of set theory. 1 2 CHAPTER 1. LOGIC AND SET THEORY A rigorous analysis of set theory belongs to the foundations of mathematics and mathematical logic.
    [Show full text]
  • If and Then Examples
    If And Then Examples Retral and out-of-print Nealson toys inappropriately and adulterates his roarers quakingly and explosively. Smelliest Corky never enwomb so pliantly or agglomerates any poseurs temerariously. Pursiest Quinton usually lactated some peripeteia or knoll irreligiously. Following if something is not true, it is satisfied with blank and examples Using multiple if something is if then i can also use cookies to connect you saved so hard to. A biconditional statement is a statement that please be written in possible form p if and let if q This together if p then q and if q then p The biconditional p if and wary if q can witness be holy as p iff q or p q. What to think like in various python allows for example. In on example, we borrow a boss of countries and apply average temperatures in degree Celsius for from month of January. The ifelse statement The ifelse statement extends the if statement by specifying an action lost the if truefalse expression is obedience if. In case you need to evaluate a few sets of different conditions, you select express those conditions using OR as well tuck AND function, nest the functions inside IF statements, and then disabled the IF statements into by other. If i object does not leak color, then force is huge red. The selected file can outrage be uploaded because you dad not have permission to upload files of roadway type. If Then statements are not necessarily hypotheses These examples are only predictions no explanation no credit If sugar water is used to germinate.
    [Show full text]
  • An Intuitively Complete Analysis of Gödel's Incompleteness (Updated)
    An Intuitively Complete Analysis of Gödel’s Incompleteness JASON W. STEINMETZ A detailed and rigorous analysis of Gödel’s proof of his first incompleteness theorem is presented. The purpose of this analysis is two-fold. The first is to reveal what Gödel actually proved to provide a clear and solid foundation upon which to base future research. The second is to construct a coherent explication of Gödel’s proof that is not only approachable by the non-specialist, but also brings to light the core principles underlying Gödel’s proof. Key Words and Phrases: Rosser, Tarski, formal systems, metamathematics, ω-inconsistency, simple consistency, arithmetization of syntax, proof theory, model theory 1. INTRODUCTION With Gödel’s famous incompleteness proof he attempted to prove some kind of limit on what can be proven within any sufficiently robust and purely formal mathematical system. Subsequently, in the many decades since Gödel published his proof myriad interpretations and theories as well as philosophical extensions of Gödel’s proof have been devised. However, we assert that much of this has simply served to confuse and obscure what Gödel actually proved because what a proof actually proves and what a proof is interpreted to prove can be very different and even potentially incommensurate things. Therefore, the intention of this proof will be to reveal the foundation of Gödel’s incompleteness proof within the context of a modern understanding of the fundamental issues that underlie the concept of incompleteness in order to provide a coherent basis for understanding and extending Gödel’s ideas. Furthermore, it is hoped that by clearly illustrating the core principles of Gödel’s proof that his proof will also become more accessible to those outside the domain of specialists in mathematical logic.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Logical Connectives: a Comparative Study of Language Influence
    1 UNDERSTANDING LOGICAL CONNECTIVES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LANGUAGE INFLUENCE. Rowan Patricia Garnier Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of London Institute of Education May, 1992 2 ABSTRACT Operators called 'logical connectives' convey in a precise way the logical relationships between truth functional propositions and hence determine what can be inferred from them. Mathematical reasoning therefore relies heavily on their use. Whilst the operators are free of ambiguity, this is not so for the linguistic items (called 'linguistic connectives') by which they are codified. In English, at least, there is a widely reported mismatch between the logical concepts and the 'meanings' of the linguistic connectives with which they are frequently identified. This study compares the provision for expressing logical concepts in Japanese, Arabic and English and seeks to ascertain to what extent the problems reported for English are generalisable to the other two languages. It also aims to establish whether the concepts underlying certain logical connectives are 'more readily available' or 'better established' in the speakers of one or other of these languages and, if so, whether this can be attributed to differing provision in the lexicon. Two experiments were carried out using as subjects adults who were native speakers of either English, Japanese or Arabic. One was designed to determine to what extent the appropriate linguistic connectives in each of the three languages convey the associated logical concepts. The second compared performance on five concept identification tasks where the concepts tested were conjunction, inclusive and exclusive disjunction, the conditional and biconditional. The results indicated no significant differences between language groups in the understanding of the linguistic expressions of logical connectives.
    [Show full text]
  • Scratch: Programming for Children and Other Not-Yet-Programmers
    Scratch: programming for children and other not-yet-programmers Bill Kendrick Linux Users' Group of Davis September 15, 2014 What is Scratch? ● A multimedia authoring tool ● A graphically-edited programming language ● Designed for children aged 8-16 ● Used by students, scholars, teachers & parents ● Used for animations, games, interactive art, simulations, visualizations ● Event-driven, with “sprite” objects ● Designed for collaboration & remixing ● Available in over 40 languages Who am I? ● Bill Kendrick ● Co-founder of LUGOD ● Creator of Tux Paint ● CTO of Smashwords, Inc. ● Father of a 7 year old Scratch addict ● A newcomer to scratch & its community (this talk will only 'scratch' the surface) (aka: thanks, Wikipedia!) Who made Scratch? ● Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Media Lab ● Lifelong Kindergarten group – Mitchel Resnick ● Supported/funded by: – National Science Foundation – Intel Foundation – Microsoft – MacAuthor Foundation – LEGO Foundation – Google – Dell – ...etc. History of Scratch & Friends ● Named for turntablism (mixing music) ● Scratch 1.x – Development began 2003 – Website launched 2006, download in 2007 – Share/remix added to website in 2007 – GPLv2 & Scratch Source Code License – Implemented in Squeak – You can apt-get install it in Ubuntu Turntable and Mixer, CC BY 3.0, Baskoner @ Wikipedia.org History of Scratch & Friends ● What's Squeak? – Dialect of Smalltalk – Created at Apple Computer in 1996 – Dev. Continued at Walt Disney Imagineering – Core designers included ● Alan Kay – Xerox PARC, Atari, Apple,
    [Show full text]
  • Bastard Reasoning: a "Preposterous" History of Walter Benjamin's Ideas
    Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 12-7-2018 3:00 PM Bastard Reasoning: A "Preposterous" History of Walter Benjamin's Ideas Vladimir Cristache The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Mooney, Kevin The University of Western Ontario Co-Supervisor Calcagno, Antonio The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Theory and Criticism A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Vladimir Cristache 2018 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Continental Philosophy Commons, Language Interpretation and Translation Commons, Other German Language and Literature Commons, Philosophy of Language Commons, and the Reading and Language Commons Recommended Citation Cristache, Vladimir, "Bastard Reasoning: A "Preposterous" History of Walter Benjamin's Ideas" (2018). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 5923. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/5923 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract This dissertation presents the theory of ideas developed by Walter Benjamin in the “Epistemo-Critical Prologue” of his Trauerspiel book and thereby seeks to fill an existing gap in English-language Benjamin literature. On the one hand, it performs its task by closely reading this thinker’s early, epistemo-linguistic writings up to and including the “Prologue”: most prominently, “On Language as Such,” “The Program of the Coming Philosophy,” “The Concept of Criticism,” and the theoretically inclined sections of “Goethe’s Elective Affinities.” On the other, it does so by positioning Benjamin’s theory of language within existentialist philosophy and by applying his theory of ideas to post-war literary theory.
    [Show full text]