Jonathan L. Kvanvig
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199282593
- eISBN:
- 9780191603587
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199282595.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This book examines and proposes a solution to the knowability paradox. The paradox derives from the proof that if all truths are knowable, then all truths are known, which was first published by ...
More
This book examines and proposes a solution to the knowability paradox. The paradox derives from the proof that if all truths are knowable, then all truths are known, which was first published by Frederic Fitch in 1963. It identifies two problems created by Fitch’s proof: a perceived anti-realism and the paradox created by the proof. It is argued that although the two problems are related, a defence against the threat to anti-realism is no solution to the paradox. The neo-Russellian theory of quantification is considered the only acceptable solution to the paradox, since no other approach offers any hope of addressing the fundamental paradoxicality involved in asserting a lost logical distinction between actuality and possibility.Less
This book examines and proposes a solution to the knowability paradox. The paradox derives from the proof that if all truths are knowable, then all truths are known, which was first published by Frederic Fitch in 1963. It identifies two problems created by Fitch’s proof: a perceived anti-realism and the paradox created by the proof. It is argued that although the two problems are related, a defence against the threat to anti-realism is no solution to the paradox. The neo-Russellian theory of quantification is considered the only acceptable solution to the paradox, since no other approach offers any hope of addressing the fundamental paradoxicality involved in asserting a lost logical distinction between actuality and possibility.
Thomas McKay
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199278145
- eISBN:
- 9780191707971
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199278145.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Language
Plural predication is a pervasive part of ordinary language. We can say that some people are fifty in number, are surrounding a building, come from many countries, and are classmates. These ...
More
Plural predication is a pervasive part of ordinary language. We can say that some people are fifty in number, are surrounding a building, come from many countries, and are classmates. These predicates can be true of some people without being true of any one of them; they are non-distributive predications. Yet the apparatus of predication and quantification in standard modern logic does not allow a place for such non-distributive predicates. This book explores the enrichment of modern logic with plural predication and quantification. We can have genuinely non-distributive predication without relying on singularizing procedures from set theory and mereology. The fundamental ‘among’ relation can be understood in a way that does not generate any hierarchy of plurals analogous to a hierarchy of types or a hierarchy of higher-order logics. Singular quantification can be understood as a special case, with the general type being quantifiers that allow both singular and plural quantification. The ‘among’ relation is formally similar to a ‘part of’ relation, but the relations are distinct, so that mass quantification and plural quantification cannot be united in the same way that plural and singular are united. Analysis of singular and plural definite descriptions follows, with a defence of a fundamentally Russellian analysis, but coupled with some new ideas about how to be sensitive to the role of context. This facilitates an analysis of some central features of the use of pronouns, both singular and plural.Less
Plural predication is a pervasive part of ordinary language. We can say that some people are fifty in number, are surrounding a building, come from many countries, and are classmates. These predicates can be true of some people without being true of any one of them; they are non-distributive predications. Yet the apparatus of predication and quantification in standard modern logic does not allow a place for such non-distributive predicates. This book explores the enrichment of modern logic with plural predication and quantification. We can have genuinely non-distributive predication without relying on singularizing procedures from set theory and mereology. The fundamental ‘among’ relation can be understood in a way that does not generate any hierarchy of plurals analogous to a hierarchy of types or a hierarchy of higher-order logics. Singular quantification can be understood as a special case, with the general type being quantifiers that allow both singular and plural quantification. The ‘among’ relation is formally similar to a ‘part of’ relation, but the relations are distinct, so that mass quantification and plural quantification cannot be united in the same way that plural and singular are united. Analysis of singular and plural definite descriptions follows, with a defence of a fundamentally Russellian analysis, but coupled with some new ideas about how to be sensitive to the role of context. This facilitates an analysis of some central features of the use of pronouns, both singular and plural.
Alan Bowman and Andrew Wilson (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199562596
- eISBN:
- 9780191721458
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562596.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This book contains a number of chapters on the Roman economy which discuss methods of analysing the performance of the economy of the Mediterranean world under Roman imperial rule in the period c.100 ...
More
This book contains a number of chapters on the Roman economy which discuss methods of analysing the performance of the economy of the Mediterranean world under Roman imperial rule in the period c.100 BC to AD 350 through quantification. It focuses on the methods and problems involved in identifying and analyzing the characteristics of economic integration, growth, and decline in this period. In particular, it attempts to suggest how a complex and diverse economic world can be better understood by using quantifiable and proxy data to measure these processes in different parts of the Mediterranean world. The data are drawn from both documentary and archaeological sources, and the book emphasizes the need to draw together different kinds of written and artefactual evidence and to describe the ways in which they complement each other. This approach is pursued in a series of analyses of approaches specific economic sectors: demography, urbanization and settlement patterns, the agrarian economy, patterns of trade and commerce, mining, metal supply, and coinage. The book offers a survey of the opportunities for advancing understanding of the economic and technological development of the Roman empire by using the tools and techniques of economic history and statistical analysis.Less
This book contains a number of chapters on the Roman economy which discuss methods of analysing the performance of the economy of the Mediterranean world under Roman imperial rule in the period c.100 BC to AD 350 through quantification. It focuses on the methods and problems involved in identifying and analyzing the characteristics of economic integration, growth, and decline in this period. In particular, it attempts to suggest how a complex and diverse economic world can be better understood by using quantifiable and proxy data to measure these processes in different parts of the Mediterranean world. The data are drawn from both documentary and archaeological sources, and the book emphasizes the need to draw together different kinds of written and artefactual evidence and to describe the ways in which they complement each other. This approach is pursued in a series of analyses of approaches specific economic sectors: demography, urbanization and settlement patterns, the agrarian economy, patterns of trade and commerce, mining, metal supply, and coinage. The book offers a survey of the opportunities for advancing understanding of the economic and technological development of the Roman empire by using the tools and techniques of economic history and statistical analysis.
Alan Bowman and Andrew Wilson (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199602353
- eISBN:
- 9780191731570
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199602353.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE, Archaeology: Classical
This volume is a collection of studies focusing on population and settlement patterns in the Roman empire in the perspective of the economic development of the Mediterranean world c. 100 BC to AD ...
More
This volume is a collection of studies focusing on population and settlement patterns in the Roman empire in the perspective of the economic development of the Mediterranean world c. 100 BC to AD 350. The analyses offered here highlight the issues of regional and temporal variation: Italy, Spain, Britain, Egypt, Crete, Asia Minor from the Roman republic to the early Byzantine period. Although they are by no means exhaustive, the contributions to this volume sketch out the varied landscapes in which the many general issues raised need to be further analysed. The relationship between urban settlements and their environs and the economy of rural settlements in or beyond those environs is crucial, and the authors suggest particular aspects that might repay analysis: the physical size of settlements and the relationship between size, location, and distribution. The chapters fall into two main groups, the first dealing with the evidence for rural settlement as revealed by archaeological field surveys, and the attendant methodological problems of extrapolating from that evidence to a view of population; and the second with city populations and the phenomenon of urbanization. They proceed to consider hierarchies of settlement in the characteristic classical pattern of city plus territory, the way in which those entities are defined, from the highest to the lowest level: the empire as ‘city of Rome plus territory‘, then regional and local hierarchies, and, more precisely, the identity and the nature of the ‘instruments‘ that enable them to function in economic cohesion.Less
This volume is a collection of studies focusing on population and settlement patterns in the Roman empire in the perspective of the economic development of the Mediterranean world c. 100 BC to AD 350. The analyses offered here highlight the issues of regional and temporal variation: Italy, Spain, Britain, Egypt, Crete, Asia Minor from the Roman republic to the early Byzantine period. Although they are by no means exhaustive, the contributions to this volume sketch out the varied landscapes in which the many general issues raised need to be further analysed. The relationship between urban settlements and their environs and the economy of rural settlements in or beyond those environs is crucial, and the authors suggest particular aspects that might repay analysis: the physical size of settlements and the relationship between size, location, and distribution. The chapters fall into two main groups, the first dealing with the evidence for rural settlement as revealed by archaeological field surveys, and the attendant methodological problems of extrapolating from that evidence to a view of population; and the second with city populations and the phenomenon of urbanization. They proceed to consider hierarchies of settlement in the characteristic classical pattern of city plus territory, the way in which those entities are defined, from the highest to the lowest level: the empire as ‘city of Rome plus territory‘, then regional and local hierarchies, and, more precisely, the identity and the nature of the ‘instruments‘ that enable them to function in economic cohesion.
Stanley Peters and Dag Westerståhl
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199291267
- eISBN:
- 9780191700590
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199291267.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Language, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
Quantification is a topic which brings together linguistics, logic, and philosophy. Quantifiers are the essential tools with which, in language or logic, we refer to quantity of things or amount of ...
More
Quantification is a topic which brings together linguistics, logic, and philosophy. Quantifiers are the essential tools with which, in language or logic, we refer to quantity of things or amount of stuff. In English they include such expressions as no, some, all, both, or many. This book presents the definitive interdisciplinary exploration of how they work — their syntax, semantics, and inferential role.Less
Quantification is a topic which brings together linguistics, logic, and philosophy. Quantifiers are the essential tools with which, in language or logic, we refer to quantity of things or amount of stuff. In English they include such expressions as no, some, all, both, or many. This book presents the definitive interdisciplinary exploration of how they work — their syntax, semantics, and inferential role.
A. H. Halsey
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199266609
- eISBN:
- 9780191601019
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199266603.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, UK Politics
There was always a struggle between science and literature for ownership of the intellectual territory of social criticism and social reform. Balzac's La comedie humaine was the nineteenth century ...
More
There was always a struggle between science and literature for ownership of the intellectual territory of social criticism and social reform. Balzac's La comedie humaine was the nineteenth century French beginning of literary claim to possession. The struggle never ceased and is now centred on battles over cultural studies as opposed to scientific method. Is schism or reconciliation the solution? Ideally, there is toleration but not necessarily institutional integration.Less
There was always a struggle between science and literature for ownership of the intellectual territory of social criticism and social reform. Balzac's La comedie humaine was the nineteenth century French beginning of literary claim to possession. The struggle never ceased and is now centred on battles over cultural studies as opposed to scientific method. Is schism or reconciliation the solution? Ideally, there is toleration but not necessarily institutional integration.
Henry Laycock
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199281718
- eISBN:
- 9780191603594
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199281718.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Language
The chapter focuses on quantification as it figures in standard versions of the predicate calculus. These versions are straightforwardly reductive in that non-singular sentences must be re-cast into ...
More
The chapter focuses on quantification as it figures in standard versions of the predicate calculus. These versions are straightforwardly reductive in that non-singular sentences must be re-cast into singular form if they are to receive representation. However, various non-singular sentences, including certain kinds of plural sentences, are refractory to representation in this form. Essentially singular forms of quantifier-expression must be distinguished from non-singular forms to lay the basis for sui generis non-singular forms of quantification, appropriate to both plural nouns and non-count nouns. The maxim ‘to be is to be the value of a variable’ must be rejected.Less
The chapter focuses on quantification as it figures in standard versions of the predicate calculus. These versions are straightforwardly reductive in that non-singular sentences must be re-cast into singular form if they are to receive representation. However, various non-singular sentences, including certain kinds of plural sentences, are refractory to representation in this form. Essentially singular forms of quantifier-expression must be distinguished from non-singular forms to lay the basis for sui generis non-singular forms of quantification, appropriate to both plural nouns and non-count nouns. The maxim ‘to be is to be the value of a variable’ must be rejected.
Jonathan L. Kvanvig
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199282593
- eISBN:
- 9780191603587
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199282595.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This chapter pursues a strategy for solving the knowability paradox in terms of the general category of the fallacies involved in substituting into intensional contexts. It clarifies and defends the ...
More
This chapter pursues a strategy for solving the knowability paradox in terms of the general category of the fallacies involved in substituting into intensional contexts. It clarifies and defends the indexical theory of quantification. It argues that the neo-Russellian view of quantification blocks the proofs from knowable truth to known truth (and from unknown truth to unknowable truth), and that the objections raised in the literature to this approach are not damaging.Less
This chapter pursues a strategy for solving the knowability paradox in terms of the general category of the fallacies involved in substituting into intensional contexts. It clarifies and defends the indexical theory of quantification. It argues that the neo-Russellian view of quantification blocks the proofs from knowable truth to known truth (and from unknown truth to unknowable truth), and that the objections raised in the literature to this approach are not damaging.
Jonathan L. Kvanvig
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199282593
- eISBN:
- 9780191603587
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199282595.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This chapter discusses the process of developing a solution to knowability paradox. It presents a detailed analysis of the paradox. It argues that the neo-Russellian theory of quantification is the ...
More
This chapter discusses the process of developing a solution to knowability paradox. It presents a detailed analysis of the paradox. It argues that the neo-Russellian theory of quantification is the only acceptable solution to the paradox, since no other approach offers any hope of addressing the fundamental paradoxicality involved in asserting a lost logical distinction between actuality and possibility.Less
This chapter discusses the process of developing a solution to knowability paradox. It presents a detailed analysis of the paradox. It argues that the neo-Russellian theory of quantification is the only acceptable solution to the paradox, since no other approach offers any hope of addressing the fundamental paradoxicality involved in asserting a lost logical distinction between actuality and possibility.
Theodore M. Porter
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199546350
- eISBN:
- 9780191720048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199546350.003.0014
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Finance, Accounting, and Banking
The standing of accounting among the academic disciplines has never been very high, in part because the work of accounting is not regarded as suitably creative. Yet when we think of knowledge as a ...
More
The standing of accounting among the academic disciplines has never been very high, in part because the work of accounting is not regarded as suitably creative. Yet when we think of knowledge as a set of institutionalized practices, the subservience of accounting to the sciences and to the ancient professions may be reversed. Fields like economics, engineering, biology, and medicine cannot escape the twin imperatives of commensuration and accountability, especially when these are brought to bear on matters of recognized public importance. In this regard, the career of cost-benefit quantification is exemplary. Knowledge and rationality, whenever they touch on politics and policy, have become closely bound up with a logic of accountancy.Less
The standing of accounting among the academic disciplines has never been very high, in part because the work of accounting is not regarded as suitably creative. Yet when we think of knowledge as a set of institutionalized practices, the subservience of accounting to the sciences and to the ancient professions may be reversed. Fields like economics, engineering, biology, and medicine cannot escape the twin imperatives of commensuration and accountability, especially when these are brought to bear on matters of recognized public importance. In this regard, the career of cost-benefit quantification is exemplary. Knowledge and rationality, whenever they touch on politics and policy, have become closely bound up with a logic of accountancy.
Thomas J. McKay
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199278145
- eISBN:
- 9780191707971
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199278145.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Language
This chapter presents some preliminary considerations in favour of taking non-distributive predication seriously, introduces key concepts, and indicates some of the issues that need to be worked out ...
More
This chapter presents some preliminary considerations in favour of taking non-distributive predication seriously, introduces key concepts, and indicates some of the issues that need to be worked out in order to have a successful treatment of non-distributive predication, plural quantification with a full range of quantifiers, and compound plural terms. It argues that although plural language is widely used and understood in ordinary discourse, further exploration of the notation and the semantics for such a language leads to some interesting insights and surprises.Less
This chapter presents some preliminary considerations in favour of taking non-distributive predication seriously, introduces key concepts, and indicates some of the issues that need to be worked out in order to have a successful treatment of non-distributive predication, plural quantification with a full range of quantifiers, and compound plural terms. It argues that although plural language is widely used and understood in ordinary discourse, further exploration of the notation and the semantics for such a language leads to some interesting insights and surprises.
Željko Ivezi, Andrew J. Connolly, Jacob T. VanderPlas, Alexander Gray, Željko Ivezi, Andrew J. Connolly, Jacob T. VanderPlas, and Alexander Gray
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691151687
- eISBN:
- 9781400848911
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691151687.003.0005
- Subject:
- Physics, Particle Physics / Astrophysics / Cosmology
This chapter introduces the most important aspects of Bayesian statistical inference and techniques for performing such calculations in practice. It first reviews the basic steps in Bayesian ...
More
This chapter introduces the most important aspects of Bayesian statistical inference and techniques for performing such calculations in practice. It first reviews the basic steps in Bayesian inference in early sections of the chapter, and then illustrates them with several examples in sections that follow. Numerical techniques for solving complex problems are next discussed, and the final section provides a summary of pros and cons for classical and Bayesian method. It argues that most users of Bayesian estimation methods are likely to use a mix of Bayesian and frequentist tools. The reverse is also true—frequentist data analysts, even if they stay formally within the frequentist framework, are often influenced by “Bayesian thinking,” referring to “priors” and “posteriors.” The most advisable position is to know both paradigms well, in order to make informed judgments about which tools to apply in which situations.Less
This chapter introduces the most important aspects of Bayesian statistical inference and techniques for performing such calculations in practice. It first reviews the basic steps in Bayesian inference in early sections of the chapter, and then illustrates them with several examples in sections that follow. Numerical techniques for solving complex problems are next discussed, and the final section provides a summary of pros and cons for classical and Bayesian method. It argues that most users of Bayesian estimation methods are likely to use a mix of Bayesian and frequentist tools. The reverse is also true—frequentist data analysts, even if they stay formally within the frequentist framework, are often influenced by “Bayesian thinking,” referring to “priors” and “posteriors.” The most advisable position is to know both paradigms well, in order to make informed judgments about which tools to apply in which situations.
Tony Van Gestel and Bart Baesens
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199545117
- eISBN:
- 9780191720147
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199545117.003.0004
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Mathematical Finance
This chapter highlights the conceptual aspects of a rating system without focusing on mathematical and technical aspects. An overview is provided of the different aspects of risk measurement and ...
More
This chapter highlights the conceptual aspects of a rating system without focusing on mathematical and technical aspects. An overview is provided of the different aspects of risk measurement and modelling: data, modelling techniques, and implementation for use. All aspects of the development and implementation of a new model are discussed. The system life cycle is explained in section 4.2. Section 4.3 provides a high-level overview on credit scoring models. Such models rely on data, for risk measurement, model use, and model development. The data issues are discussed in Section 4.4. Section 4.5 provides a bird's eye view on the model development process of internal rating systems. Implementation aspects are discussed in Section 4.6. Section 4.7 explains that models need to be maintained and updated regularly. Section 4.8 explains the different, but also partially overlapping aspects of model validation, quality control, and backtesting.Less
This chapter highlights the conceptual aspects of a rating system without focusing on mathematical and technical aspects. An overview is provided of the different aspects of risk measurement and modelling: data, modelling techniques, and implementation for use. All aspects of the development and implementation of a new model are discussed. The system life cycle is explained in section 4.2. Section 4.3 provides a high-level overview on credit scoring models. Such models rely on data, for risk measurement, model use, and model development. The data issues are discussed in Section 4.4. Section 4.5 provides a bird's eye view on the model development process of internal rating systems. Implementation aspects are discussed in Section 4.6. Section 4.7 explains that models need to be maintained and updated regularly. Section 4.8 explains the different, but also partially overlapping aspects of model validation, quality control, and backtesting.
Gyula Klima
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195176223
- eISBN:
- 9780199871957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195176223.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Having seen the limitations of a reconstruction of Buridan’s semantics in terms of a modified quantification theory, this chapter begins engaging Buridan’s theory in its own terms, starting with a ...
More
Having seen the limitations of a reconstruction of Buridan’s semantics in terms of a modified quantification theory, this chapter begins engaging Buridan’s theory in its own terms, starting with a detailed discussion of the semantic properties of terms. The discussion moves from a brief discussion of Buridan’s distinction between immediate and ultimate signification (securing that the semantic properties of mental terms will be “inherited” by written and spoken terms), to Buridan’s theory of reference, namely, supposition, and oblique reference, namely, appellation. The chapter discusses suppositional descents as distinguishing quantifier-scopes, numerical quantification, and appellation in temporal and modal contexts, as well as Buridan’s peculiar theory of appellatio rationis, the theory of oblique reference to concepts in intentional contexts.Less
Having seen the limitations of a reconstruction of Buridan’s semantics in terms of a modified quantification theory, this chapter begins engaging Buridan’s theory in its own terms, starting with a detailed discussion of the semantic properties of terms. The discussion moves from a brief discussion of Buridan’s distinction between immediate and ultimate signification (securing that the semantic properties of mental terms will be “inherited” by written and spoken terms), to Buridan’s theory of reference, namely, supposition, and oblique reference, namely, appellation. The chapter discusses suppositional descents as distinguishing quantifier-scopes, numerical quantification, and appellation in temporal and modal contexts, as well as Buridan’s peculiar theory of appellatio rationis, the theory of oblique reference to concepts in intentional contexts.
Amie L. Thomasson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195319910
- eISBN:
- 9780199869602
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195319910.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter investigates what is involved in asking general ontological questions such as: “what exists?” and “how many things are there?” It is argued that well-formed existence and counting ...
More
This chapter investigates what is involved in asking general ontological questions such as: “what exists?” and “how many things are there?” It is argued that well-formed existence and counting questions are “specific” existence questions that specify a certain category or sort of entity enquired about. Purely “generic” existence and counting questions (asking about “anything whatsoever”, where “thing” is not used sortally) are ill-formed unanswerable questions. This gives us reason to think that quantificational claims likewise presuppose certain categories of entity quantified over. It also suggests that many of the questions driving ontological debates are based on pseudo-questions, and does so without subscribing to anti-realism or quantifier variance. The chapter closes by considering whether we can revive a form of universal quantification by way of a “covering” use of “thing” that generalizes over a range of category-specific terms.Less
This chapter investigates what is involved in asking general ontological questions such as: “what exists?” and “how many things are there?” It is argued that well-formed existence and counting questions are “specific” existence questions that specify a certain category or sort of entity enquired about. Purely “generic” existence and counting questions (asking about “anything whatsoever”, where “thing” is not used sortally) are ill-formed unanswerable questions. This gives us reason to think that quantificational claims likewise presuppose certain categories of entity quantified over. It also suggests that many of the questions driving ontological debates are based on pseudo-questions, and does so without subscribing to anti-realism or quantifier variance. The chapter closes by considering whether we can revive a form of universal quantification by way of a “covering” use of “thing” that generalizes over a range of category-specific terms.
James Higginbotham
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199239313
- eISBN:
- 9780191716904
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199239313.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, Theoretical Linguistics
This chapter focuses on two main issues: the issue of indexicality, and the extension of the notions of logic to indexical languages; and the issue of the notation itself. It begins with a discussion ...
More
This chapter focuses on two main issues: the issue of indexicality, and the extension of the notions of logic to indexical languages; and the issue of the notation itself. It begins with a discussion of logical syntax, and then turns from there to possible characterizations of the notion of consequence. It concludes with a discussion of some further semantic phenomena, which underscore the need to take context and language together.Less
This chapter focuses on two main issues: the issue of indexicality, and the extension of the notions of logic to indexical languages; and the issue of the notation itself. It begins with a discussion of logical syntax, and then turns from there to possible characterizations of the notion of consequence. It concludes with a discussion of some further semantic phenomena, which underscore the need to take context and language together.
Alain Bresson
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197265062
- eISBN:
- 9780191754173
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265062.003.0010
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
After initial comments on the role of Greek inscriptions as ‘archives’, this chapter reviews the drastic changes that have occurred since Finley's book of 1973 in the picture of the ancient economy, ...
More
After initial comments on the role of Greek inscriptions as ‘archives’, this chapter reviews the drastic changes that have occurred since Finley's book of 1973 in the picture of the ancient economy, both by acknowledging development and growth, and by adopting new concepts, not least New Institutional Economics with its emphasis on transaction costs. The methodological impact of such new approaches is sketched in four fields, each of which is illustrated with epigraphic documentation: (1) production and growth, instancing technological advance, land exploitation and textile production; (2) finance, taxes, trade and prices, with emphasis on the need and opportunities for quantification; (3) money and coinage; and (4) the transformation of uncertainty into an assessment of risk, illustrated in respect of farming practices and recourse to consultation of oracles and curse-tablets.Less
After initial comments on the role of Greek inscriptions as ‘archives’, this chapter reviews the drastic changes that have occurred since Finley's book of 1973 in the picture of the ancient economy, both by acknowledging development and growth, and by adopting new concepts, not least New Institutional Economics with its emphasis on transaction costs. The methodological impact of such new approaches is sketched in four fields, each of which is illustrated with epigraphic documentation: (1) production and growth, instancing technological advance, land exploitation and textile production; (2) finance, taxes, trade and prices, with emphasis on the need and opportunities for quantification; (3) money and coinage; and (4) the transformation of uncertainty into an assessment of risk, illustrated in respect of farming practices and recourse to consultation of oracles and curse-tablets.
Roger Kain and Catherine Delano-smith
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197262863
- eISBN:
- 9780191734076
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197262863.003.0012
- Subject:
- Sociology, Population and Demography
Professional geographers use maps to reveal spatial patterns in their data and to seek correlations in those patterns, although they no longer always do so by the time-honoured method of simple ...
More
Professional geographers use maps to reveal spatial patterns in their data and to seek correlations in those patterns, although they no longer always do so by the time-honoured method of simple visual comparison of distributions on a series of paper maps. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are founded on maps stored electronically. In most British geography departments, cartography has been distanced from geography. This chapter discusses the use of maps in geography, quantification and spatial science, maps and public policy in Britain, thematic mapping, compilation of atlases and reading of maps.Less
Professional geographers use maps to reveal spatial patterns in their data and to seek correlations in those patterns, although they no longer always do so by the time-honoured method of simple visual comparison of distributions on a series of paper maps. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are founded on maps stored electronically. In most British geography departments, cartography has been distanced from geography. This chapter discusses the use of maps in geography, quantification and spatial science, maps and public policy in Britain, thematic mapping, compilation of atlases and reading of maps.
Paul M. Pietroski
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199244300
- eISBN:
- 9780191714153
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199244300.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
In principle, Conjunctivists can treat determiners, like ‘every’, as predicates satisfied by ordered pairs of sets. But this recapitulates standard Functionist accounts, which fail to explain various ...
More
In principle, Conjunctivists can treat determiners, like ‘every’, as predicates satisfied by ordered pairs of sets. But this recapitulates standard Functionist accounts, which fail to explain various constraints on determiner meanings. A better option is to allow for plural predicates, which can be satisfied by some things without being satisfied by any one of those things, and say that determiners are plural predicates satisfied by ordered pairs consisting of an entity and a truth value. Spelling out the details requires a discussion of second-order variables, but this is required in any case. The net result is a relatively simple Conjunctivist account that explains the conservativity of determiners, while retaining the descriptive adequacy of generalized quantifier theories. The proposal, which dovetails with the idea that determiner phrases often raise, extends smoothly to an account of plural noun phrases that also avoids some undesirable implications of Functionist approaches, which invoke quantification over collections. A moral is that predicates can have many values relative to any assignment of values to variables, and that associating each predicate with a single set-like value is a distortion.Less
In principle, Conjunctivists can treat determiners, like ‘every’, as predicates satisfied by ordered pairs of sets. But this recapitulates standard Functionist accounts, which fail to explain various constraints on determiner meanings. A better option is to allow for plural predicates, which can be satisfied by some things without being satisfied by any one of those things, and say that determiners are plural predicates satisfied by ordered pairs consisting of an entity and a truth value. Spelling out the details requires a discussion of second-order variables, but this is required in any case. The net result is a relatively simple Conjunctivist account that explains the conservativity of determiners, while retaining the descriptive adequacy of generalized quantifier theories. The proposal, which dovetails with the idea that determiner phrases often raise, extends smoothly to an account of plural noun phrases that also avoids some undesirable implications of Functionist approaches, which invoke quantification over collections. A moral is that predicates can have many values relative to any assignment of values to variables, and that associating each predicate with a single set-like value is a distortion.
Christopher Potts
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199273829
- eISBN:
- 9780191706653
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199273829.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
This chapter enters the expressive dimension, focusing on epithets, swears, and Japanese honorifics. These items are quite different from supplements (Chapter 4), but they are intimately connected to ...
More
This chapter enters the expressive dimension, focusing on epithets, swears, and Japanese honorifics. These items are quite different from supplements (Chapter 4), but they are intimately connected to them via Grice’s definition. The opening sections make the case for treating these items as conventional-implicature contributors. Quantification is challenging from this perspective, so special attention is given to the effects that this emotive language can have in quantified statements. A scope-shifting alternative to the theory is defined and rejected. The chapter closes with a case study: the German discourse subjunctive.Less
This chapter enters the expressive dimension, focusing on epithets, swears, and Japanese honorifics. These items are quite different from supplements (Chapter 4), but they are intimately connected to them via Grice’s definition. The opening sections make the case for treating these items as conventional-implicature contributors. Quantification is challenging from this perspective, so special attention is given to the effects that this emotive language can have in quantified statements. A scope-shifting alternative to the theory is defined and rejected. The chapter closes with a case study: the German discourse subjunctive.
