William Temple (logician)

William Temple (1924 – 2011) was a British logician known for his work on combinatory logic and its applications to computer science. He earned his doctorate at the University of Oxford under the supervision of H.B. Curry, another prominent figure in combinatory logic. Temple's research focused on developing formal systems for reasoning about functions and computation, often exploring the expressive power and theoretical limitations of different logical formalisms. While not as widely known as some of his contemporaries, his contributions helped to solidify the foundations of functional programming and theoretical computer science. He held academic positions at various institutions throughout his career, contributing to the education of future generations of logicians and computer scientists. His published works include journal articles and conference papers exploring specific aspects of combinatory logic and its relationship to lambda calculus. He is remembered for his rigorous approach to formal systems and his insightful contributions to the understanding of computation.