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symbolic logic
noun
: a science of developing and representing logical principles by means of a formalized system consisting of primitive symbols, combinations of these symbols, axioms, and rules of inference
Examples of symbolic logic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Training in symbolic logic makes these sort of reasonings second nature to voters.
—Vinay K. Chaudhri, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2024
What a good system of symbolic logic does is that let us get really organized.
—The Lost Women Of Science Initiative, Scientific American, 30 Nov. 2023
Christine was a mathematician who specialized in symbolic logic.
—The Lost Women Of Science Initiative, Scientific American, 30 Nov. 2023
These in turn are being aided by new work on neural nets as well as symbolic logic.
—John McCarthy, IEEE Spectrum, 6 May 2023
The team also showed that, for 3-by-3 grids, their system was almost 250 times faster than a traditional method that uses rules of symbolic logic to reason, since that method must search through an enormous rulebook to determine the correct next step.
—Anil Ananthaswamy, Quanta Magazine, 13 Apr. 2023
Will deep learning ever be able to learn symbolic logic?
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2022
On the other side of the debate are cognitive psychologists such as former NYU professor Gary Marcus and many others who see strong evidence that in people—and to some extent in animals too— symbolic logic is innate, not learned.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2022
NooK incorporates symbolic logic and explicit probabilistic reasoning allows for clear explanations of the A.I.’s decisions.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2022
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Word History
First Known Use
1856, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near symbolic logic
Cite this Entry
“Symbolic logic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symbolic%20logic. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.
More from Merriam-Webster on symbolic logic
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about symbolic logic
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