Process and action: Relevant theory and logics (Q1207427)

This is a guided tour of the state of research in various approaches to process logic, including the logic of action. The author is well-known, among other things, for his contributions to relevant logic. Here he advocates building relevance constraints into some of the approaches to process logic canvassed. The paper contains both rich philosophical reflection, e.g. on the nature of action and the adequacy of systems proposed, as well as some formalization and formal results. Among the latter are De Morgan lattice logics of processes, process theory as generalized category theory, relevant action logic, and relevant dynamic logic. Other topics discussed are the subsumption of actions under processes, the practical syllogism, F. B. Fitch's early relevant logic of striving (1963) with its suggestive chain of definitions, the relevant logic of intention, and A. Fuhrmann's relevant logic of theory change. Although the paper is long and not tightly organized, it will make fascinating reading for workers in the above areas.