From fa757b935541b00dbe0542cbe96e3021e9c30337 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2015 19:20:25 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Refine intro page, add stub for Topics-and-themes page --- ...the_topics_and_larger_themes_of_the_course.mdwn | 27 +++++++++++++++ index.mdwn | 39 +++++----------------- 2 files changed, 35 insertions(+), 31 deletions(-) create mode 100644 More_about_the_topics_and_larger_themes_of_the_course.mdwn diff --git a/More_about_the_topics_and_larger_themes_of_the_course.mdwn b/More_about_the_topics_and_larger_themes_of_the_course.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 00000000..46505815 --- /dev/null +++ b/More_about_the_topics_and_larger_themes_of_the_course.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,27 @@ +*Coming, please wait...* + + diff --git a/index.mdwn b/index.mdwn index 19429c19..5a66c312 100644 --- a/index.mdwn +++ b/index.mdwn @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ or: **What Philosophers and Linguists Can Learn From Theoretical Computer Science But Didn't Know To Ask** -This course is co-taught by [Chris Barker](http://homepages.nyu.edu/~cb125/) and [Jim Pryor](http://www.jimpryor.net/). Linguistics calls it "G61.3340" and Philosophy calls it "G83.2296" +This course is co-taught by [Chris Barker](http://homepages.nyu.edu/~cb125/) and [Jim Pryor](http://www.jimpryor.net/). Linguistics calls it "LING-GA 3340" and Philosophy calls it "PHIL-GA 2296". The seminar meets in spring 2015 on Thursdays from 4 until a bit before 7 (with a short break in the middle), in the Linguistics building at 10 Washington Place, in room 103 (front of the first floor). @@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ This wiki will be undergoing lots of changes throughout the semester, and partic we taught this course, and iron out various technical wrinkles. Please be patient. If you've eager to learn, though, you don't have to wait on us to be ready to serve you. You can go look at the [archived first version](http://lambda1.jimpryor.net) of this course. Just keep in mind that -the text and links there haven't been updated. +the text and links there haven't been updated. And/or get started on installing the software and ordering some of the books. As we mentioned in class, if you're following the course and would like to be emailed occasionally, send an email to , saying "lambda" in the subject line. Most often, we will just post announcements to this website, rather than emailing you. But occasionally an email might be more appropriate. @@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ Here is information about [[How to get the programming languages running on your ## Course Overview ## -The goal of this seminar is to introduce concepts and techniques from +The overarching goal of this seminar is to introduce concepts and techniques from theoretical computer science and show how they can provide insight into established philosophical and linguistic problems. @@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ Philosphers and linguists tend to reuse the same familiar tools in ever more (sometime spectacularly) creative ways. But when your only hammer is classical logic, every problem looks like modus ponens. In contrast, computer scientists have invested considerable ingenuity in -studying tool design, and have made remarkable progress. +studying the design of their conceptual tools (among other things), and they've made much progress that we can benefit from. "Why shouldn't I reinvent some idea X for myself? It's intellectually rewarding!" Yes it is, but it also takes time you might have better @@ -59,44 +59,21 @@ connection to existing literature and neighboring issues may go unnoticed. For all these reasons you're better off understanding the state of the art. -The theoretical tools we'll be introducing aren't very familiar to +The theoretical tools we'll be introducing aren't part of the diet of most everyday programmers, but they are prominent in academic computer science, especially in the fields of functional programming and type theory. Of necessity, this course will lay a lot of logical groundwork. But throughout we'll be aiming to mix that groundwork with real cases -in our home subjects where these tools play central roles. +in our home subjects where these tools can (or already do, covertly) play central roles. Our aim for the course is to enable you to make these tools your own; to have enough understanding of them to recognize them in use, use them yourself at least in simple ways, and to be able to read more about them when appropriate. - +[[More about the topics and larger themes of the course]] + ## Who Can Participate? ## -- 2.11.0