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Single Idea 15538

[filed under theme 7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 10. Vagueness / d. Vagueness as linguistic ]

Full Idea

Semantic indecision will suffice to explain the phenomenon of vagueness. [note] Provided that there exist the many precisifications for us to be undecided between. If you deny this, you will indeed have need of vague objects.

Clarification

A 'precisification' is one way of making a vague thing precise

Gist of Idea

Semantic indecision explains vagueness (if we have precisifications to be undecided about)

Source

David Lewis (Many, but almost one [1993], 'Two solutions')

Book Ref

Lewis,David: 'Papers in Metaphysics and Epistemology' [CUP 1999], p.170


A Reaction

[He mentions Van Inwagen 1990:213-83] There seem to be three solutions to vague objects: that they really are vague, that they are precise but we can't know precisely, or Lewis's view. I like Lewis's view. Do animals have any problem with vagueness?


The 4 ideas from 'Many, but almost one'

Basic to pragmatics is taking a message in a way that makes sense of it [Lewis]
If cats are vague, we deny that the many cats are one, or deny that the one cat is many [Lewis]
We have one cloud, but many possible boundaries and aggregates for it [Lewis]
Semantic indecision explains vagueness (if we have precisifications to be undecided about) [Lewis]