Solvability, Provability, Definability

Book excerpt: Emil Post was a pioneer of 20th century mathematical logic whose influence on computer science is particularly remarkable considering his lack of any contact with computing machines. Post's approach, revolutionary for the time, was to study logical systems from the outside, using ordinary mathematical methods. His investigations led him to set forth what has become the standard paradigm for studying logical systems. By showing how a system of logic could be viewed as a kind of general combinatorial system, Post provided the basis for much of modern computer science. No index. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR