Analysis of Concepts and States in Talmudic Reasoning (Studies in Talmudic Logic)

by Michael Abraham, Israel Belfer, Dov Gabbay

In this book we deal with combinations of concepts defining individuals in the Talmud. Consider for example Yom Kippur and Shabbat. Each concept has its own body of laws. Reality forces us to combine them when they occur on the same day. This is a case of "Identity Merging". As the combined body of laws may be inconsistent, we need a belief revision mechanism to reconcile the conflicting norms. The Talmud offers three 1 Take the union of the sets of the rules side by side 2. Resolve the conflicts using further meta-level Talmudic principles (which are new and of value to present day Artificial Intelligence) 3. Regard the new combined concept as a new entity with its own Halachic norms and create new norms for it out of the existing ones. This book offers a clear and precise logical model showing how the Talmud deals with these options.

324 pages, Hardcover

Published January 6, 2014