Polish notation

<philosophical terminology> an alternative representation for symbolic logic, introduced by Jan Lukasiewicz. Use of the basic notation is illustrated in the following table: Np negation ~ p Kpq conjunction p & q Apq disjunction p v q Cpq material implication p -> q Epq material equivalence p = q PxFx universal quantifier (x)Fx SxGx existential quantifier (Ex)Gx Polish notation eliminates any need for parenthetical bracketing by relying upon a rigorous principle of order. Thus, for example,

((pvr) & ((p -> ~q) & (r->s))) -> (~q v s)

can be expressed in Polish notation as

CKAprKCpNqCrsANqs.

Recommended Reading: Philosophical Logic in Poland, ed. by Jan Wolenski (Kluwer, 1994) and Jan Lukasiewicz, Aristotle's Syllogistic from the Standpoint of Modern Formal Logic (Clarendon, 1957).

[A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names]

<2002-03-11>

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