First Order Logic is an Indirect Representation

First Order Logic is an Indirect Representation

First order propositional logic represents everything from the third person indirect perspective of an observer. Sentence letters represent particulars indirectly. They are labels for abstract concepts, or labels for objects in the real world. The same sentence letters may have different meanings in different contexts. This could not happen in a direct representation. The concepts of ‘True’ and ‘False’ are themselves labels for abstract concepts.

The representation of the universe is direct and physical. It is concrete. It is not abstract, and it is not indirect. First order logic fails to distinguish between the indirect, abstract representation of thought about reality, and the direct, concrete representation of reality. It fails to distinguish the difference between an indirect representation of existence and the direct physical representation of existence itself. In hindsight, this was probably unavoidable. We experience and think about the world indirectly and abstractly. Because thought seems to be indirect[1], we attempted to represent everything indirectly. Lacking an understanding of the representation of thought, we did not understand where to draw the line between thought and reality.

Propositional calculus depends on propositional logic. Predicate logic depends on propositional logic. Predicate calculus depends on propositional calculus. Axiomatic set theory depends on predicate calculus. Mathematics depends on axiomatic set theory. “Bits’ represent particulars indirectly. A ‘bit’ is an indirect representation or label for an abstract concept, or for an object in the real world. The same bit may have different meanings in different contexts. Information is composed of and represented in terms of bits, so it too is an indirect representation.

[1] The representation of thought is actually both direct and indirect. This is explained later in this paper.