Tarski's World: Revised and Expanded

Tarski's World is an innovative and enjoyable way to introduce students to the language of first-order logic. Using this courseware package, students quickly master the meaning of the connectives and quantifiers and soon become fluent in the symbolic language at the core of modern logic.

The Tarski's World program allows the students to build three-dimensional worlds and to describe them in first-order logic. Students evaluate sentences within the constructed worlds and, if an evaluation is incorrect, the program provides them with a game that leads them to understand where they went wrong.

The Tarski's World program can be used in the various ways in which we learn a new language. In addition to translating back and forth from English, we can directly describe worlds, use the language to identify objects, construct worlds satisfying a description, and so forth.

The package contains over one-hundred exercises from very basic to highly sophisticated. For the first time, with this edition, students have access to an Internet-based grading service called the Grade Grinder. Solutions to many exercises may be submitted to the Grade Grinder for assessment and the results are returned to the student, and optionally the instructor, by email. This innovative service provides students with accurate and timely feedback on their work whenever they need it, day or night. A web-based interface allows instructors to manage assignments and grades for their classes.

This new edition of Tarski's World includes software for Windows, Macintosh and Linux operating systems.

Tarski's World is intended as a supplement to a standard logic text, or for use by anyone who wants to learn the language of first-order logic.

Praise for earlier editions of Tarski's World:

“Together the manual and program offer an excellent introduction to the syntax and semantics of logical notation.” – George Boolos, Journal of Symbolic Logic

“I heartily recommend Tarski's World and Turing's World.... Without a doubt logic instruction needs more programs like these.” – James Moore, Teaching Philosophy

“The authors are pioneers. [Tarski's World] is the only program that I know for teaching first-order semantics, and it sets a high standard. I warmly recommend it.” – Wilfrid Hodges, Queen Mary College

Dave Barker-Plummer is senior research scientist with the Openproof Project at CSLI. The late Jon Barwise was professor of philosophy, mathematics, and computer science at Indiana University and one of the founding members of CSLI. John Etchemendy is professor of philosophy and symbolic systems at Stanford University and a former director of CSLI. Albert Liu is a software developer at CSLI.

More information on this courseware can be found at http://tw.stanford.edu/.

1/1/2008