We consider two formalisations of the notion of a compositionalsemantics for a language, and find some equivalent statements in termsof substitutions. We prove a theorem stating necessary and sufficientconditions for the existence of a canonical compositional semanticsextending a given partial semantics, after discussing what features onewould want such an extension to have. The theorem involves someassumptions about semantical categories in the spirit of Husserl andTarski.

This paper explores the hypothesis that first-order linguistic activities are better understood in terms of ecological, values-realizing dynamics rather than in terms of rule-governed processes. Conversing, like other perception-action skills is constrained by multiple values, heterarchically organized. This hypothesis is explored in terms of three broad approaches that contrast with models of language which view it as a cognitive system: conversing as a perceptual system for exploring dialogical arrays ; conversing as an action system for integrating diverse space-time scales ; (...) and conversing as a caring system for embodying the context-sensitivity and interdependency necessary to realize values. Approaching language as a caring action-perception system leads to a reconsideration of cognitive dimensions of linguistic activities, including consciousness, pragmatics, suffering, and hope. (shrink)

1 INTRODUCTION The Historical and Cultural Background Ludwig Wittgenstein has been and continues to be one of the most enigmatic figures in ...

We reconstruct as much as we can the part of al-Fārābī's treatment of modal logic that is missing from the surviving pages of his Long Commentary on the Prior Analytics. We use as a basis the quotations from this work in Ibn Sīnā, Ibn Rushd and Maimonides, together with relevant material from al-Fārābī's other writings. We present a case that al-Fārābī's treatment of the dictum de omni had a decisive effect on the development and presentation of Ibn Sīnā's modal logic. (...) We give further evidence that the Harmonisation of the Opinions of Plato and Aristotle was not written by al-Fārābī. (shrink)

Nielsen Busch and Mjaaland (2023) argue that controlled donation after circulatory death does not violate the dead donor rule because the dead donor rule “merely requires that procurement of organs...

Low mean fundamental frequency (F 0) in men’s voices has been found to positively influence perceptions of dominance by men and attractiveness by women using standardized speech. Using natural speech obtained during an ecologically valid social interaction, we examined relationships between multiple vocal parameters and dominance and attractiveness judgments. Male voices from an unscripted dating game were judged by men for physical and social dominance and by women in fertile and non-fertile menstrual cycle phases for desirability in short-term and long-term (...) relationships. Five vocal parameters were analyzed: mean F 0 (an acoustic correlate of vocal fold size), F 0 variation, intensity (loudness), utterance duration, and formant dispersion (D f , an acoustic correlate of vocal tract length). Parallel but separate ratings of speech transcripts served as controls for content. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the independent contributions of each of the predictors. Physical dominance was predicted by low F 0 variation and physically dominant word content. Social dominance was predicted only by socially dominant word content. Ratings of attractiveness by women were predicted by low mean F 0, low D f , high intensity, and attractive word content across cycle phase and mating context. Low D f was perceived as attractive by fertile-phase women only. We hypothesize that competitors and potential mates may attend more strongly to different components of men’s voices because of the different types of information these vocal parameters provide. (shrink)

The editors invited us to write a short paper that draws together the main themes of logic in the Western tradition from the Classical Greeks to the modern period. To make it short we had to make it personal. We set out the themes that seemed to us either the deepest, or the most likely to be helpful for an Indian reader.

Pandemics first and foremost hit those who are most vulnerable, and the COVID-19 pandemic is not different. Although the infection rate in the nation’s poorest neighborhoods is twice as it is in th...

First Published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The text on this website is copyright in the same way as any other publication. It is of course legitimate to make small quotations from it. A link to this site should then be put in to acknowledge the origin of quoted text. For any more substantial use of the material on this site you should ask permission from me. You should also ask my permission to use any of the graphic icons or the images which are marked as being (...) my photographs. (shrink)

Model theory became an independent discipline within logic during the first half of the 1950s. Andrzej Mostowski made several distinctive contributions to this development through papers of his. Also his 1948 textbook of logic covers material in the foundations of model theory, and in 1966 he published a survey book with several chapters on model theory. We examine his choice of technical terms and concepts during this period, and we discuss a criticism made by Abraham Robinson of the coverage of (...) model theory in the 1966 book. On this basis we draw some conclusions about Mostowski’s aims and attitudes, which were often different from those of other pioneers in the field. (shrink)

The origin of my article lies in the appearance of Copeland and Proudfoot's feature article in Scientific American, April 1999. This preposterous paper, as described on another page, suggested that Turing was the prophet of 'hypercomputation'. In their references, the authors listed Copeland's entry on 'The Church-Turing thesis' in the Stanford Encyclopedia. In the summer of 1999, I circulated an open letter criticising the Scientific American article. I included criticism of this Encyclopedia entry. This was forwarded to Prof. Ed Zalta, (...) editor of the Encyclopedia, and after some discussion he invited me to submit an entry on ' Alan Turing.'. (shrink)

This article examines the phenomenon of collective or aggregate civil litigation, manifested in different forms as a class action, representative action, or group action. Different countries have adopted different models of collective civil litigation. This diversity presents a challenge in drawing comparisons, and raises the need to study the different techniques involved. This article summarizes the adoption of a technical perspective. Following this, the article reviews the availability and limitations of the research techniques in relation to what we want. It (...) discusses the questions of goals of collective procedures, levels of need, technical modes of operation, and evaluation. The ultimate goal is to be able to compare different techniques and decide which ones might work best and in what circumstances or types of situation. There is plenty of research to be done in this field. (shrink)

Book Information Environmental Philosophy and Ethics in Buddhism. Environmental Philosophy and Ethics in Buddhism Padmasiri de Silva London Macmillan Press 1998 xviii + 195 Hardback AUS$69.95 By Padmasiri de Silva. Macmillan Press. London. Pp. xviii + 195. Hardback:AUS$69.95.