The authors presents, briefly and to the point, the need for an interdisciplinary theory of language and logic, on which to base Information Retrieval (IR) systems. IR in this paper refers to “expert systems,” “knowledge-based systems,” and “question-answer systems.” Cooper discusses IR design elements common to both document retrieval systems and Data Base Management Systems (DBMS).

The requirements for accurate logical deduction of information, and free natural language prose are discussed. The logical and linguistic components are combined to become the basis for a common, unified theory of language and logic known as logico-linguistics. This theory is not new, and no new ideas are presented.

The author discusses the need and probable character of a logico-linguistic theory as it relates to his definition of IR. The information is well presented, and may serve as an introduction to logico-linguistics.