David Makinson
Encyclopedia
David Clement Makinson, D.Phil, (born 27 August 1941), is an Australian mathematical logician living in London
, England
.
in 1958 and was an associate of the Libertarian Society and Sydney Push
. He is a Visiting Professor in the London School of Economics
, University of London
, and an associate member of the Centre of Research in Applied Epistemology (CREA), École Polytechnique
, Paris
. He has held professorial rank positions in King's College London
, University of London and in the American University of Beirut
, Lebanon
. From 1980 till 2001 he worked for UNESCO
, Paris
.
, uncertain reasoning, and modal logic
. While studying in Oxford University (Worcester College) for his D.Phil under the supervision of Michael Dummett
, he identified the preface paradox
. In belief revision he created the AGM account of theory change with Carlos Alchourrón and Peter Gärdenfors
. In modal logic and other non-classical logic
s, he showed how to establish completeness
results by adapting the method of maximal consistent set. In 1969 Makinson discovered the first simple and natural propositional logic lacking the finite model property.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Career
Makinson began his studies at Sydney UniversityUniversity of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
in 1958 and was an associate of the Libertarian Society and Sydney Push
Sydney Push
The Sydney Push was a predominantly left-wing intellectual sub-culture in Sydney from the late 1940s to the early '70s. Well known associates of the Push include Jim Baker, John Flaus, Harry Hooton, Margaret Fink, Sasha Soldatow, Lex Banning, Eva Cox, Richard Appleton, Paddy McGuinness, David...
. He is a Visiting Professor in the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, and an associate member of the Centre of Research in Applied Epistemology (CREA), École Polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He has held professorial rank positions in King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, University of London and in the American University of Beirut
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. From 1980 till 2001 he worked for UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Contribution
David Makinson is highly regarded for his work on belief revisionBelief revision
Belief revision is the process of changing beliefs to take into account a new piece of information. The logical formalization of belief revision is researched in philosophy, in databases, and in artificial intelligence for the design of rational agents....
, uncertain reasoning, and modal logic
Modal logic
Modal logic is a type of formal logic that extends classical propositional and predicate logic to include operators expressing modality. Modals — words that express modalities — qualify a statement. For example, the statement "John is happy" might be qualified by saying that John is...
. While studying in Oxford University (Worcester College) for his D.Phil under the supervision of Michael Dummett
Michael Dummett
Sir Michael Anthony Eardley Dummett FBA D.Litt is a British philosopher. He was, until 1992, Wykeham Professor of Logic at the University of Oxford...
, he identified the preface paradox
Preface paradox
The preface paradox, or the paradox of the preface, was introduced by David Makinson in 1965. Similar to the lottery paradox, it presents an argument according to which it can be rational to accept mutually incompatible beliefs...
. In belief revision he created the AGM account of theory change with Carlos Alchourrón and Peter Gärdenfors
Peter Gärdenfors
Bjorn Peter Gärdenfors is a professor of cognitive science at the University of Lund, Sweden. He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities and recipient of the Gad Rausing Prize . He received his doctorate from Lund University in 1974; his thesis title was...
. In modal logic and other non-classical logic
Non-classical logic
Non-classical logics is the name given to formal systems which differ in a significant way from standard logical systems such as propositional and predicate logic. There are several ways in which this is done, including by way of extensions, deviations, and variations...
s, he showed how to establish completeness
Completeness
In general, an object is complete if nothing needs to be added to it. This notion is made more specific in various fields.-Logical completeness:In logic, semantic completeness is the converse of soundness for formal systems...
results by adapting the method of maximal consistent set. In 1969 Makinson discovered the first simple and natural propositional logic lacking the finite model property.