Polymorphic equality is a controversial language construct. While being convenient for the programmer, it has been argued that polymorphic equality (1) invites to violation of software engineering principles, (2) lays a serious burden on the language implementor, and (3) enforces a runtime overhead due to the necessity of tagging values at runtime. We show that neither (2) nor (3) are inherent ...

We argue that fuzzy equivalences, and in particular fuzzy equalities, in general are not suitable to model approximate equality due to the notion of transitivity. Using them for this purpose therefore leads to counter-intuitive results, as we illustrate in detail in a fuzzy relationbased framework for the representation of linguistic modifiers. We solve the problem by choosing resemblance relat...

The de nition of Standard ML provides a form of generic equality which is inferred for certain types, called equality types, on which it is possible to de ne an equality relation in ML. However, the standard de nition is incomplete in the sense that there are interesting and useful types which are not inferred to be equality types but for which an equality relation can be de ned in ML in a unif...

The definition of Standard ML provides a form of generic equality which is inferred for certain types, called equality types, on which it is possible to define an equality relation in ML. However, the standard definition is incomplete in the sense that there are interesting and useful types which are not inferred to be equality types but for which an equality relation can be defined in ML in a ...

THERE’S a well-known scene in Shakespeare’s Henry V in which the King, disguised as an ordinary soldier, is conversing with some of his soldiers on the eve of the battle of Agincourt. Hoping to find or inspire support among them, he remarks: “Methinks I could not die anywhere so contented as in the King’s company, his cause being just and his quarrel honorable.” One soldier replies: “That’s mor...

This paper is a contribution to the study of equality-free logic, that is, first-order logic without equality. We mainly devote ourselves to the study of algebraic characterizations of its relation of elementary equivalence by providing some Keisler-Shelah type ultrapower theorems and an Ehrenfeucht-Fraı̈ssé type theorem. We also give characterizations of elementary classes in equalityfree logic...

The discourse of participation in and about Brazil has contributed to the wider discourse of the public sphere. As anoccasion to revise the general concept of the public sphere, it carries its own limitations as well. The public sphereis an arena where citizens come together to discuss matters of general interest and through this discussion are thenable to influence the state. The c...

The debate over the hijab has become an arena of fervent discussion in Europe. The recent political developments have opened a discussion on the relationship between a “secularized” West and an Islamic world. At the heart of this debate is the juridical regulation of women’s body and whether a simple piece of cloth such as the veil should be allowed or prohibited. This article takes into consid...