Alfred Tarski
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Alfred Tarski | |
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| Born | 14 January 1901 |
| Died | 26 October 1983 |
| Nationality | Polish-born; later American |
| Occupation | Logician; mathematician; philosopher |
| Known for | Theory of truth; model theory; semantics |
| Notable work | Semantic theory of truth; work in model theory |
Alfred Tarski (14 January 1901 – 26 October 1983) was a logician, mathematician, and philosopher whose work addressed semantics, formal logic, and the foundations of mathematics. He examined how notions such as truth, reference, and satisfaction can be defined within formal languages.
His work focused on rigorous formal analysis rather than metaphysical interpretation.
Early life and education
Tarski was born in Warsaw, then part of the Russian Empire. He studied mathematics and philosophy at the University of Warsaw, where he became associated with the Polish school of logic.
His early work developed in an environment emphasizing precision, formal methods, and logical rigor.
Theory of truth
Tarski is known for formulating a semantic conception of truth for formal languages. He defined truth in terms of satisfaction by sequences and introduced conditions intended to avoid semantic paradoxes.
This work distinguished object languages from metalanguages and restricted the application of truth predicates.
Semantics and logic
Tarski contributed to the development of formal semantics, including definitions of logical consequence and logical validity. He emphasized model-theoretic approaches to logic.
These contributions shaped subsequent work in logic and formal semantics.
Model theory
Tarski played a central role in the development of model theory, studying the relationships between formal languages and their interpretations. His work addressed definability, decidability, and the structure of models.
Model theory became a major area of mathematical logic partly through this work.
Emigration and later work
During World War II, Tarski emigrated to the United States, where he held academic positions, including at the University of California, Berkeley. He supervised students and collaborated extensively in logic and mathematics.
Much of his later work was produced in institutional research settings.
Limits and uncertainty
Tarski’s theory of truth applies only to formalized languages and does not extend directly to natural language. Attempts to generalize his approach have faced technical and conceptual difficulties.
Debate continues regarding the philosophical interpretation of his semantic definitions.
Status
Alfred Tarski is regarded as a central figure in twentieth-century logic and semantics. His work continues to be discussed in logic, philosophy of language, and the foundations of mathematics.