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Understanding the logical constants and dispositions to infer

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Version 2 2023-06-12, 06:36
Version 1 2023-06-08, 22:13
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-12, 06:36 authored by Corine BessonCorine Besson
Many philosophers claim that understanding a logical constant (e.g. ‘if, then’) fundamentally consists in having dispositions to infer according to the logical rules (e.g. Modus Ponens) that fix its meaning. This paper argues that such dispositionalist accounts give us the wrong picture of what understanding a logical constant consists in. The objection here is that they give an account of understanding a logical constant which is inconsistent with what seem to be adequate manifestations of such understanding. I then outline an alternative account according to which understanding a logical constant is not to be understood dispositionally, but propositionally. I argue that this account is not inconsistent with intuitively correct manifestations of understanding the logical constants.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

The Baltic International Yearbook of Cognition, Logic and Communication

ISSN

1944-3676

Publisher

New Prairie Press Publishing

Volume

5

Page range

1-24

Department affiliated with

  • Philosophy Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2015-08-25

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2015-08-25

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2015-08-25

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