Combining Philosophers

Ideas for La Mettrie, Jos Ortega y Gassett and Theodore Sider

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15 ideas

4. Formal Logic / B. Propositional Logic PL / 2. Tools of Propositional Logic / b. Terminology of PL
'Theorems' are formulas provable from no premises at all [Sider]
     Full Idea: Formulas provable from no premises at all are often called 'theorems'.
     From: Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 2.6)
4. Formal Logic / B. Propositional Logic PL / 3. Truth Tables
Truth tables assume truth functionality, and are just pictures of truth functions [Sider]
     Full Idea: The method of truth tables assumes truth functionality. Truth tables are just pictures of truth functions.
     From: Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 6.3)
4. Formal Logic / D. Modal Logic ML / 3. Modal Logic Systems / c. System D
Intuitively, deontic accessibility seems not to be reflexive, but to be serial [Sider]
     Full Idea: Deontic accessibility seems not to be reflexive (that it ought to be true doesn't make it true). One could argue that it is serial (that there is always a world where something is acceptable).
     From: Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 6.3.1)
In D we add that 'what is necessary is possible'; then tautologies are possible, and contradictions not necessary [Sider]
     Full Idea: In D we add to K a new axiom saying that 'what's necessary is possible' (□φ→◊φ), ..and it can then be proved that tautologies are possible and contradictions are not necessary.
     From: Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 6.4.2)
4. Formal Logic / D. Modal Logic ML / 3. Modal Logic Systems / f. System B
System B introduces iterated modalities [Sider]
     Full Idea: With system B we begin to be able to say something about iterated modalities. ..S4 then takes a different stand on the iterated modalities, and neither is an extension of the other.
     From: Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 6.4.4)
4. Formal Logic / D. Modal Logic ML / 3. Modal Logic Systems / h. System S5
S5 is the strongest system, since it has the most valid formulas, because it is easy to be S5-valid [Sider]
     Full Idea: S5 is the strongest system, since it has the most valid formulas. That's because it has the fewest models; it's easy to be S5-valid since there are so few potentially falsifying models. K is the weakest system, for opposite reasons.
     From: Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 6.3.2)
     A reaction: Interestingly, the orthodox view is that S5 is the correct logic for metaphysics, but it sounds a bit lax. Compare Idea 13707.
4. Formal Logic / D. Modal Logic ML / 5. Epistemic Logic
Epistemic accessibility is reflexive, and allows positive and negative introspection (KK and K¬K) [Sider]
     Full Idea: Epistemic accessibility should be required to be reflexive (allowing Kφ→φ). S4 allows the 'KK principle', or 'positive introspection' (Kφ→KKφ), and S5 allows 'negative introspection' (¬Kφ→K¬Kφ).
     From: Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 7.2)
4. Formal Logic / D. Modal Logic ML / 6. Temporal Logic
We can treat modal worlds as different times [Sider]
     Full Idea: We can think of the worlds of modal logic as being times, rather than 'possible' worlds.
     From: Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 7.3.3)
4. Formal Logic / D. Modal Logic ML / 7. Barcan Formula
Converse Barcan Formula: □∀αφ→∀α□φ [Sider]
     Full Idea: The Converse Barcan Formula reads □∀αφ→∀α□φ (or an equivalent using ◊).
     From: Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 9.5.2)
     A reaction: I would read that as 'if all the αs happen to be φ, then αs have to be φ'. Put like that, I would have thought that it was obviously false. Sider points out that some new object could turn up which isn't φ.
The Barcan Formula ∀x□Fx→□∀xFx may be a defect in modal logic [Sider]
     Full Idea: The Barcan Formula ∀x□Fx→□∀xFx is often regarded as a defect of Simple Quantified Modal Logic, though this most clearly seen in its equivalent form ◊∃xFx→∃x◊Fx.
     From: Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 9.5.2)
     A reaction: [See Idea 13719 for an explanation why it might be a defect] I translate the first one as 'if xs must be F, then they are always F', and the second one as 'for x to be possibly F, there must exist an x which is possibly F'. Modality needs existence.
System B is needed to prove the Barcan Formula [Sider]
     Full Idea: The proof of the Barcan Formula require System B.
     From: Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 9.7)
The Barcan schema implies if X might have fathered something, there is something X might have fathered [Sider]
     Full Idea: If we accept the Barcan and converse Barcan schemas, this leads to surprising ontological consequences. Wittgenstein might have fathered something, so, by the Barcan schema, there is something that Wittgenstein might have fathered.
     From: Theodore Sider (Writing the Book of the World [2011], 11.9)
     A reaction: [He cites Tim Williamson for this line of thought] I was liking the Barcan picture, by now I am backing away fast. They cannot be serious!
4. Formal Logic / E. Nonclassical Logics / 2. Intuitionist Logic
You can employ intuitionist logic without intuitionism about mathematics [Sider]
     Full Idea: Not everyone who employs intuitionistic logic is an intuitionist about mathematics.
     From: Theodore Sider (Logic for Philosophy [2010], 7.4.1)
     A reaction: This seems worthy of note, since it may be tempting to reject the logic because of the implausibility of the philosophy of mathematics. I must take intuitionist logic more seriously.
4. Formal Logic / G. Formal Mereology / 1. Mereology
'Gunk' is an object in which proper parts all endlessly have further proper parts [Sider]
     Full Idea: An object is 'gunky' if each of its parts has further proper parts; thus gunk involves infinite descent in the part-whole relation.
     From: Theodore Sider (Writing the Book of the World [2011], 07.11.2)
4. Formal Logic / G. Formal Mereology / 3. Axioms of Mereology
Which should be primitive in mereology - part, or overlap? [Sider]
     Full Idea: Should our fundamental theory of part and whole take 'part' or 'overlap' as primitive?
     From: Theodore Sider (Writing the Book of the World [2011], 02.3)