Abstract
In this paper, the authors describe their initial investigations in computational metaphysics. Our method is to implement axiomatic metaphysics in an automated reasoning system. In this paper, we describe what we have discovered when the theory of abstract objects is implemented in prover9 (a first-order automated reasoning system which is the successor to otter). After reviewing the second-order, axiomatic theory of abstract objects, we show (1) how to represent a fragment of that theory in prover9’s first-order syntax, and (2) how prover9 then finds proofs of interesting theorems of metaphysics, such as that every possible world is maximal. We conclude the paper by discussing some issues for further research.
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Copyright © 2006, by Branden Fitelson and Edward N. Zalta. The authors would like to thank Chris Menzel and Paul Oppenheimer for extremely helpful discussions about our representation of object theory in prover9 syntax. We’re also grateful to Paul Oppenheimer and Paolo Mancosu for carefully reading the final draft and pointing out errors. A web page has been built in support of the present paper; see <http://mally.stanford.edu/cm/> and its mirror at <http://fitelson.org/cm/>.
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Fitelson, B., Zalta, E.N. Steps Toward a Computational Metaphysics. J Philos Logic 36, 227–247 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10992-006-9038-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10992-006-9038-7