TITLE: Philosopher-Programmer
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: May 05, 2016  1:45 PM
DESC: 
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BODY:
In her 1942 book <EM>Philosophy in a New Key</EM>, philosopher
<A HREF="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susanne_Langer">
   Susanne Langer</A>
wrote:

<BLOCKQUOTE><EM>
 A question is really an ambiguous proposition; the answer is
 its determination.
</EM></BLOCKQUOTE>

This sounds like something a Prolog programmer might say in a
philosophical moment.  Langer even understood how tough it can
be to write effective Prolog queries:

<BLOCKQUOTE><EM>
 The way a question is asked limits and disposes the ways in
 which any answer to it -- right or wrong -- may be given.
</EM></BLOCKQUOTE>

Try sticking a
<A HREF="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cut_(logic_programming)">
   cut</A>
somewhere and see what happens...

It wouldn't be too surprising if a logical philosopher reminded
me of Prolog, but Langer's specialties were consciousness and
aesthetics.  Now that I think about it, though, this connection
makes sense, too.

Prolog can be a lot of fun, though logic programming always felt
more limiting to me than most other styles.  I've been fiddling
again with Joy, a language <EM>created</EM> by a philosopher,
but every so often I think I should earmark some time to revisit
Prolog someday.
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