Ramsification and semantic indeterminacy

Leitgeb, Hannes (3. September 2022): Ramsification and semantic indeterminacy. In: Review of Symbolic Logic, Bd. 16, Nr. 3: S. 900-950

Abstract

Is it possible to maintain classical logic, stay close to classical semantics, and yet accept that language might be semantically indeterminate? The article gives an affirmative answer by Ramsifying classical semantics, which yields a new semantic theory that remains much closer to classical semantics than supervaluationism but which at the same time avoids the problematic classical presupposition of semantic determinacy. The resulting Ramsey semantics is developed in detail, it is shown to supply a classical concept of truth and to fully support the rules and metarules of classical logic, and it is applied to vague terms as well as to theoretical or open-ended terms from mathematics and science. The theory also demonstrates how diachronic or synchronic interpretational continuity across languages is compatible with semantic indeterminacy.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Keywords: Indeterminacy; Ramsey sentence; epsilon term; vagueness; semantics; theoretical terms
• Fakultät: Philosophie, Wissenschaftstheorie und Religionswissenschaft > Lehrstuhl für Logik und Sprachphilosophie
• Themengebiete: 100 Philosophie und Psychologie > 100 Philosophie
• ISSN: 1755-0203
• Sprache: Englisch
• DFG: Gefördert durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - 491502892