This is a Very Pleasant Pineapple

Looks like you can watch the whole film, “Wittgenstein,” here.

Read Full Post »

Predication, Quantification and Individuation

Predication is one of the most basic features of our language. To use a predicate in discussion of the actual world is to make a claim about the way the world (or whatever specific part of it we happen to be speaking about) is. It’s obvious that word-world connections such as those we see in [...]

Read Full Post »

A connection between modality and an epistemology of intensions of predicate terms (part IV).

Given the discussion of parts I, II and III, I want to propose a way to understand intensions which may end up speaking to certain questions about modal semantics. As an introduction, let’s recall that Carnap engaged in a similar project in Meaning and Necessity. In that work, state-descriptions were to play the functional role [...]

Read Full Post »

A connection between modality and an epistemology of intensions of predicate terms (part III).

The difficulty for using a “conceptually prior” class of possible worlds — more about what is meant by the phrase in scare quotes in a moment — to the purpose of giving an account of the intension of predicate terms (at least one which is epistemically responsible) is more apparent. Say we assume, as Lewis [...]

Read Full Post »

The False Problem of Time

I hope to hear what you guys think of this post, I’m sure there is at least one doubt-worthy premise, but I thought it was a least an interesting topic. In this post I want to first show how phenomenology identifies false problems by breaking perceptual inputs into pieces and wholes. Next I want to apply this to time [...]

Read Full Post »

A connection between modality and an epistemology of intensions of predicate terms (part II)

In part I of this series, I promised to outline what I felt were shortcomings of the view according to which we could provide a genuine modal semantics (semantics for a language with modal operators) under the presupposition that this language was “antecedently meaningful” — which I take to mean at a minimum that at [...]

Read Full Post »

A connection between modality and an epistemology of intensions of predicate terms (part I)

One thread of philosophy of language intersects, in at least a few places, with a thread of philosophical considerations about modality. Once we begin considering how to provide an account of understanding the meaning or intension of a predicate such as ‘is ψ’, we realize that we must consider possible circumstances or imaginary scenarios in [...]

Read Full Post »

Philosophers’ Carnival #53

Class is officially in session for the 53rd Philosophers‘ Carnival!
Since we at the Florida Student Philosophy Blog have recently returned to class, we thought you should too. We would like to thank all those who submitted, and we hope that you find the current selection as engaging as we did. Courses (or posts if you [...]

Read Full Post »

For Rigid Designation, Essentialism Out = Essentialism In

Whatever other implications there are from a theory according to which at least some singular referring terms are directly referring and proper names are rigid designators, one take-home lesson is properly semantic: if there’s anything to the notion of rigid designation, and if proper names are in fact rigid designators, then the semantics of proper [...]

Read Full Post »

God’s Existence and the Standard Model of Particle Physics: An Entailment Relation?

In Faith and Philosophy (January 2007), Elliott Sober once again takes up the question of intelligent design (ID) theory, arguing that the minimalist ID (mini-ID) theory–despite what its proponents claim–has theological implications. Here is how Sober describes mini-ID theory:

Read Full Post »

Why We Should Not Fear Death

Death is a common topic of speculation and frequently anxiety. In the time that Epicurus was laying out his way of life and sharing it with others this was the case. Epicurus, though, claimed that we should not fear death because, “Death, the most frightening of bad things, is nothing to us; since [...]

Read Full Post »

Concept Possession and the Ability to Sort

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s entry on concepts explains three commonly held views of concepts. On the first, concepts are taken to be psychological entities that serve as constituents of the mental representations that feature in the representational theory of mind. On the second, concepts are understood in terms of concept possession which is explained [...]

Read Full Post »

Reason, Intuition, Objects

… a grad student conference on the epistemology and ontology of logic will take place this fall at SUNY-Buffalo. The keynote speaker is Stewart Shapiro (Ohio State). Details and the CFP are available at the conference website.
- Rico Vitz

Read Full Post »

Nature of Mind: Dualism vs. Monism vs. ?

I’ve always had a deep interest in the nature of the human mind, but I have never been able to comfortably assert a philosophical stance on the subject, i.e. am I a dualist, monist, or something else entirely. This winter break I read The Mysterious Flame by McGinn and found myself less certain than ever. [...]

Read Full Post »

Interview: John Martin Fischer

The FSPB welcomes John Martin Fischer (UC-Riverside) to our blog.
FSPB: Hi, John, thank you for joining us. Congratulations to you and to UC-Riverside on being ranked, along with Florida State, as the top program in the nation for Philosophy of Action.

Read Full Post »

Kant v. Locke: It’s About Time

Katherine Dunlop (Stanford) will present her paper, “The Unity of Time’s Measure: Kant’s Reply to Locke,” at the University of Miami on Friday, January 26th. More information is available here.
- Rico Vitz

Read Full Post »

A Trouble for Possible Worlds as Maximally Consistent Sets of Propositions or for Propositions Simpliciter?

The notion of possible worlds has proved incredibly frutiful in providing formal semantics for various systems of quantified modal logic. Perhaps so fruitful that philosophers interested in related issues such as semantics for the terms ‘necessarily’ and ‘possibly’ of natural language or in the metaphysical nature of necessity and possibility often make use of the [...]

Read Full Post »