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Ideas for 'works', 'Material Beings' and 'Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy'

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2 ideas

5. Theory of Logic / E. Structures of Logic / 1. Logical Form

4730	For Aristotle, the subject-predicate structure of Greek reflected a substance-accident structure of reality [Aristotle, by O'Grady]
	Full Idea: Aristotle apparently believed that the subject-predicate structure of Greek reflected the substance-accident nature of reality.
	From: report of Aristotle (works [c.330 BCE]) by Paul O'Grady - Relativism Ch.4
	A reaction: We need not assume that Aristotle is wrong. It is a chicken-and-egg. There is something obvious about subject-predicate language, if one assumes that unified objects are part of nature, and not just conventional.

5. Theory of Logic / E. Structures of Logic / 4. Variables in Logic

17558	Variables are just like pronouns; syntactic explanations get muddled over dummy letters [Inwagen]
	Full Idea: Explanations in terms of syntax do not satisfactorily distinguish true variables from dummy or schematic letters. Identifying variables with pronouns, however, provides a genuine explanation of what variables are.
	From: Peter van Inwagen (Material Beings [1990], 02)
	A reaction: I like this because it shows that our ordinary thought and speech use variables all the time ('I've forgotten something - what was it?'). He says syntax is fine for maths, but not for ordinary understanding.