Abstract
I present a formal language that imposes a structure on processes in macro-chemistry. Each symbol in the language invites a type of analysis that is carried out either by looking into the semantics if the language or by looking at the context. Every formal language has assumptions underlying it. The assumptions made in developing the formal language are meant to help with conceptual analysis by inviting certain types of question.
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Notes
The difference is important. In classical logic, we are only interested in the preservation of truth. In constructivist and intuitionist logic we are interested in knowledge. In constructivist and intuitionist philosophy, there is not separation between knowledge and truth.
Because of the Springer imposed word limit on papers in this volume, the section was cut that discussed various existing formal systems of reasoning and why each is inadequate. They include: category theory, Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory, probability logic, stochastic logic, logic of partial information, logic of attributes, temporal logic, fuzzy logic and fuzzy set theory, the theory of rough sets, systems of logic that include mass nouns but are based on set theory, formal systems that include mass nouns but are based on modality. Some of the latter were inspiring, but none was quite right for the purpose at hand.
I should like to thank two anonymous reviewers for the very helpful comments that they made to the draft of this paper.
A more thorough argument for developing a new language would work on a case-by-case basis to consider and eliminate existing formal languages as they have been developed in logic, mathematics and computer science. That argument is not in print, but exists in draft form.
This is the grammatical third person. The use of ‘he’ in its grammatical role should in no way be confused with political agendas against women.
There are state sub-divisions of plasma, but we shall ignore these since they make no difference that matters for the basic presentation.
I use the word ‘set’ but it should not be thought of in terms of sets as in Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory. Also we are not treating properties as objects, except grammatically.
The idea of an open operator is original to this paper. The inspiration for it comes from computer science where they have the notion of an ‘overloaded’ operator. An overloaded operator is one that gives us several instructions together. For example, it might be a series of operations. The operator becomes a short-hand, and this is useful when the same series of operations occurs in a program. There are times when it is worth ‘un-packing’ it, to treat some of the operations separately. I learned about overloaded operators in conversation. The Wikipedia article is helpful, if one wants to learn more about them. Because open operators are original, at the date of publication, there is no reference for them apart from this paper.
‘Intensional’ is not the same as intentional.
Personal conversation at the UNILOG 2018 conference in Vichy.
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Friend, M. The beginnings of a formal language for conceptual analysis of processes in macro-chemistry. Found Chem 22, 31–42 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10698-019-09343-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10698-019-09343-6