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Single Idea 8471

[filed under theme 19. Language / C. Assigning Meanings / 3. Predicates ]

Full Idea

'Socrates is human' is true if 1) subject referent is identical with a predicate referent (Nominalism), 2) subject reference member of the predicate set, or the subject has that property (Platonism), 3) predicate set a member of the subject set (Montague)

Gist of Idea

Three ways for 'Socrates is human' to be true are nominalist, platonist, or Montague's way

Source

Alex Orenstein (W.V. Quine [2002], Ch.3)

Book Ref

Orenstein,Alex: 'W.V. Quine' [Princeton 2002], p.70


A Reaction

Orenstein offers these as alternatives to Quine's 'inscrutability of reference' thesis, which makes the sense unanalysable.


The 14 ideas from Alex Orenstein

Traditionally, universal sentences had existential import, but were later treated as conditional claims [Orenstein]
The whole numbers are 'natural'; 'rational' numbers include fractions; the 'reals' include root-2 etc. [Orenstein]
The Principle of Conservatism says we should violate the minimum number of background beliefs [Orenstein]
Just individuals in Nominalism; add sets for Extensionalism; add properties, concepts etc for Intensionalism [Orenstein]
Three ways for 'Socrates is human' to be true are nominalist, platonist, or Montague's way [Orenstein]
Mereology has been exploited by some nominalists to achieve the effects of set theory [Orenstein]
Unlike elementary logic, set theory is not complete [Orenstein]
Sentential logic is consistent (no contradictions) and complete (entirely provable) [Orenstein]
Axiomatization simply picks from among the true sentences a few to play a special role [Orenstein]
The logicists held that is-a-member-of is a logical constant, making set theory part of logic [Orenstein]
The substitution view of quantification says a sentence is true when there is a substitution instance [Orenstein]
People presume meanings exist because they confuse meaning and reference [Orenstein]
If two people believe the same proposition, this implies the existence of propositions [Orenstein]
S4: 'poss that poss that p' implies 'poss that p'; S5: 'poss that nec that p' implies 'nec that p' [Orenstein]