Formal logic is difficult, at least for most people.  This applies also to languages based on formal logic, in particular when debugging requires reasoning with these languages.  This talk is about how working with such formal languages can be made easier, through insights from the theories of reasoning developed in cognitive psychology, and from the philosophy of language.  This is illustrated by a study with a Knowledge Representation language known as Description Logic (DL).  In the study, theories of reasoning and language guided changes to the syntax of a DL formalism, with measurable improvements in accuracy and speed of comprehension.  The talk also discusses the use of natural language.  Natural language is sometimes seen as a panacea.  In some circumstances it can help; however, it can also create ambiguities.  Theories of reasoning and language can help understand when and how these ambiguities arise.  Finally, the talk looks at future directions in which the research could be taken, both in widening the application domain and extending the theoretical base.

 

N.B. this talk is a preview of a presentation to be given at ESWC 2017.

Watch the webcast replay >>