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:: about Lorenz Demey is a research professor in philosophical logic at KU Leuven. His research is primarily focused on logical geometry and the history of logic; other research interests include the philosophies of science, language and mathematics, and the mathematical environment of modal logic (algebra, topology, etc.). Demey's research is supported by various grants and projects, including an ERC Starting Grant of the European Research Council, and has been recognized by multiple scientific awards. Demey studied philosophy (PhD, MA, BA major), logic (MSc), mathematics (BA minor) and artificial intelligence (MSc ABD) at KU Leuven and Universiteit van Amsterdam. Besides doing research, he also really enjoys teaching and science popularization.

:: contact details

  • www, mail, and phone

official personnel page at KU Leuven

lorenz.demey =at= kuleuven.be

+32 16 32 88 55 (office)


  • postal address

Institute of Philosophy

Center for Logic and Philosophy of Science (CLPS)

Kardinaal Mercierplein 2

B-3000 Leuven

Belgium


  • visiting address

Room 01.53

Andreas Vesaliusstraat 2

B-3000 Leuven

Belgium

:: research interests

  • logical geometry: opposition and implication; bitstring semantics; Aristotelian diagrams and other logic diagrams (Hasse, Euler, Venn); the Leuven Ontology for Aristotelian Diagrams and its Database (Leonardi.DB); logic-sensitivity; duality; visual-cognitive properties of Aristotelian diagrams; category-theoretical perspective on Aristotelian diagrams (for more information, see the logical geometry website)

  • history of logic: Aristotelian diagrams in specific historical authors (e.g. John Buridan, Nicole Oresme, Domingo Bañez, Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, Arthur Schopenhauer, Augustus De Morgan); the history of logic at the University of Leuven (with a special focus on the 15th and 16th centuries, e.g. John Fabri of Valenciennes); the development of vernacular logic in Dutch (1585 - 1685); the interplay between traditional and mathematical logic in the early 20th century

  • philosophy of science and mathematics: the various roles of Aristotelian diagrams in logical practice (in analogy with the various roles that diagrams can play in mathematics and natural science; e.g. Feynman diagrams in physics)

  • epistemic logic and formal epistemology: probabilistic epistemic logic (with applications in game theory, e.g. Aumann's agreeing to disagree theorem); the Lockean thesis on belief vs. degrees of belief; the philosophical significance of the dynamic turn in epistemic logic

  • natural language semantics and philosophy of language: the semantics and pragmatics of indefinite/definite descriptions; generalized quantifier theory; bitstring semantics for various lexical fields; scalar implicatures; lexicalization and duality

  • history of philosophy: William of Ockham's theory of cognition; scholasticism vs humanism

  • mathematical modal logic: algebraic and topological models for modal logic; probabilistic extensions of modal logic