Philosophy

Postgraduates work in progress

Speaker: Albinas Plesnys

Title: Necessity and Formalization of Universal Sentences

Abstract: What are the conditions for the success of formalization in logic? After discussing possible criteria, I will argue, that one example of unsuccessful yet widely accepted formalization is that of universal sentences, i.e., sentences of the form S is P, where 'S' is a general name. E.g: Birch is a tree; unicorn has two horns; dogs bark. Preferred formalization of such sentences in basic contemporary logic is by using universal quantifier, that is:

∀x S(x)→P(x)

Intuitively, such analysis suggests logical equivalence between two types of sentences: S is P, and every S is P. My claim is that such equivalence mostly (if not always) fails to hold. I will discuss Kripke's approach to the problem using modal logic and try to show its shortcomings. I will propose different approach using second order logic.

Contact

If you would like to present work at the seminar, or for more information on dates and venues, please contact Olivia Coombes, Dylan Balfour or visit the Work in Progress Seminar homepage.

Work in Progress Seminar homepage

 

Nov 03 2017 -

Postgraduates work in progress

2017-11-03: Necessity and Formalization of Universal Sentences

Room 7.01, Dugald Stewart Building, 3 Charles Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AD