more from this thinker | more from this text
Full Idea
Our talk of propositions should not be regarded as anything more than a concise way of talking about equivalent sentences.
Clarification
Propositions are said to be the thought behind sentence
Gist of Idea
Talk of propositions is just shorthand for talking about equivalent sentences
Source
A.J. Ayer (The Central Questions of Philosophy [1973], IX.C)
Book Ref
Ayer,A.J.: 'The Central Questions of Philosophy' [Penguin 1976], p.208
A Reaction
Wrong, though I can see why he says it. We struggle to express difficult propositions by offering several similar (but not equivalent) sentences. What is the criterion for deciding his 'equivalence'?
| 6094 | An inventory of the world does not need to include propositions [Russell] |
| 6096 | I no longer believe in propositions, especially concerning falsehoods [Russell] |
| 21712 | I know longer believe in shadowy things like 'that today is Wednesday' when it is actually Tuesday [Russell] |
| 21724 | The main aim of the multiple relations theory of judgement was to dispense with propositions [Russell, by Linsky,B] |
| 7534 | In 1906, Russell decided that propositions did not, after all, exist [Russell, by Monk] |
| 13989 | There are no propositions; they are just sentences, used for thinking, which link to facts in a certain way [Ryle] |
| 13982 | If we accept true propositions, it is hard to reject false ones, and even nonsensical ones [Ryle] |
| 2610 | Talk of propositions is just shorthand for talking about equivalent sentences [Ayer] |
| 9007 | It makes no sense to say that two sentences express the same proposition [Quine] |
| 9008 | There is no rule for separating the information from other features of sentences [Quine] |
| 9010 | We can abandon propositions, and just talk of sentences and equivalence [Quine] |
| 18968 | The problem with propositions is their individuation. When do two sentences express one proposition? [Quine] |
| 3968 | Propositions explain nothing without an explanation of how sentences manage to name them [Davidson] |
| 12150 | Indexicals reveal big problems with the traditional idea of a proposition [Perry] |
| 6631 | If propositions are abstract entities, how can minds depend on their causal powers? [Lowe] |