more from George Boolos

Single Idea 13671

[catalogued under 5. Theory of Logic / G. Quantification / 5. Second-Order Quantification]

Full Idea

Boolos proposes that second-order quantifiers be regarded as 'plural quantifiers' are in ordinary language, and has developed a semantics along those lines. In this way they introduce no new ontology.

Gist of Idea

Second-order quantifiers are just like plural quantifiers in ordinary language, with no extra ontology

Source

report of George Boolos (To be is to be the value of a variable.. [1984]) by Stewart Shapiro - Foundations without Foundationalism 7 n32

Book Reference

Shapiro,Stewart: 'Foundations without Foundationalism' [OUP 1991], p.201


A Reaction

This presumably has to treat simple predicates and relations as simply groups of objects, rather than having platonic existence, or something.