Nāˆ…thing is Logical

People often reason contrary to the prescriptions of classical logic. In this project we study cases of divergence between everyday and logical-mathematical reasoning and, challenging the canonical view, we hypothesise that they are a straightforward consequence of a tendency in human cognition to neglect empty representations (neglect-zero).

We develop logics which formally represent the neglect-zero tendency and rigorously study its impact on interpretation; explore possible conventionalizations of neglect-zero effects in specific linguistic domains; and experimentally investigate the impact of neglect-zero in ordinary reasoning and its conjectured suspension for example in the context of a mathematical proof.

Latest news


17 October 2025


Maria will deliver the annual colloquium in linguistics and philosophy at the University of Oxford.

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10 October 2025


Poster presentations by Tomasz and by Sonia at ABC day

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4 October 2025


The Nihil project will be present at the Wetenschapsdag Amsterdam Science Park (Oct 4 2025) with playful activities where children can test their reasoning style.

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