Logical reasoning with diagrams

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of diagrams in reasoning. It exposes the tension between formal and informal use of diagrams. Diagrams are a complementary representation to symbolic formulae. Since choosing the right representation may be essential to solving a problem, we study diagrams as one of such suitable choices. We analyse algorithmic and computational approaches to formalising the logic of diagrams, and present some of modern implementations of diagrammatic reasoning systems.