Revisiting McGee’s Counterexample to Modus Ponens

Autores
Rubin, Mariela; Lo Guercio, Nicolás Francisco
Año de publicación
2024
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
In this paper, we provide a novel explanation of McGee’s (1985) alleged counterexample to Modus Ponens for indicative conditionals. Our strategy is to show that pragmatic phenomena interfere with intuitions concerning the acceptability of the inference. More specifically, we argue that two confounding factors at play affect our intuitions concerning the acceptability of the inference, neither of which is related to validity. First, the indefinite determiner phrase “a Republican” is ambiguous, to wit, it may receive either a specific or a non-specific reading (and as we shall see, substituting a disjunction or a definite description for the indefinite is of no help). Second, the conclusion triggers an ignorance inference concerning its antecedent. In light of this, we shall argue, McGee’s diagnosis must be rejected.
Fil: Rubin, Mariela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas. - Sociedad Argentina de Análisis Filosófico. Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina
Fil: Lo Guercio, Nicolás Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas. - Sociedad Argentina de Análisis Filosófico. Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina
Materia
Modus Ponens
Counterexample
Pragmatics
Indicative Conditionals
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/265319
Acceder
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spelling Revisiting McGee’s Counterexample to Modus PonensRubin, MarielaLo Guercio, Nicolás FranciscoModus PonensCounterexamplePragmaticsIndicative Conditionalshttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/6.3https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6In this paper, we provide a novel explanation of McGee’s (1985) alleged counterexample to Modus Ponens for indicative conditionals. Our strategy is to show that pragmatic phenomena interfere with intuitions concerning the acceptability of the inference. More specifically, we argue that two confounding factors at play affect our intuitions concerning the acceptability of the inference, neither of which is related to validity. First, the indefinite determiner phrase “a Republican” is ambiguous, to wit, it may receive either a specific or a non-specific reading (and as we shall see, substituting a disjunction or a definite description for the indefinite is of no help). Second, the conclusion triggers an ignorance inference concerning its antecedent. In light of this, we shall argue, McGee’s diagnosis must be rejected.Fil: Rubin, Mariela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas. - Sociedad Argentina de Análisis Filosófico. Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Lo Guercio, Nicolás Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas. - Sociedad Argentina de Análisis Filosófico. Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaUniversity of Rijeka2024-11info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/265319Rubin, Mariela; Lo Guercio, Nicolás Francisco; Revisiting McGee’s Counterexample to Modus Ponens; University of Rijeka; European journal of analytic philosophy; 20; 2; 11-2024; 389-4121845-84751849-0514CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://hrcak.srce.hr/322874info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.31820/ejap.20.2.7info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-09-03T10:04:51Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/265319instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-09-03 10:04:51.463CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Revisiting McGee’s Counterexample to Modus Ponens
title Revisiting McGee’s Counterexample to Modus Ponens
spellingShingle Revisiting McGee’s Counterexample to Modus Ponens
Rubin, Mariela
Modus Ponens
Counterexample
Pragmatics
Indicative Conditionals
title_short Revisiting McGee’s Counterexample to Modus Ponens
title_full Revisiting McGee’s Counterexample to Modus Ponens
title_fullStr Revisiting McGee’s Counterexample to Modus Ponens
title_full_unstemmed Revisiting McGee’s Counterexample to Modus Ponens
title_sort Revisiting McGee’s Counterexample to Modus Ponens
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Rubin, Mariela
Lo Guercio, Nicolás Francisco
author Rubin, Mariela
author_facet Rubin, Mariela
Lo Guercio, Nicolás Francisco
author_role author
author2 Lo Guercio, Nicolás Francisco
author2_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Modus Ponens
Counterexample
Pragmatics
Indicative Conditionals
topic Modus Ponens
Counterexample
Pragmatics
Indicative Conditionals
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6.3
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv In this paper, we provide a novel explanation of McGee’s (1985) alleged counterexample to Modus Ponens for indicative conditionals. Our strategy is to show that pragmatic phenomena interfere with intuitions concerning the acceptability of the inference. More specifically, we argue that two confounding factors at play affect our intuitions concerning the acceptability of the inference, neither of which is related to validity. First, the indefinite determiner phrase “a Republican” is ambiguous, to wit, it may receive either a specific or a non-specific reading (and as we shall see, substituting a disjunction or a definite description for the indefinite is of no help). Second, the conclusion triggers an ignorance inference concerning its antecedent. In light of this, we shall argue, McGee’s diagnosis must be rejected.
Fil: Rubin, Mariela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas. - Sociedad Argentina de Análisis Filosófico. Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina
Fil: Lo Guercio, Nicolás Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas. - Sociedad Argentina de Análisis Filosófico. Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina
description In this paper, we provide a novel explanation of McGee’s (1985) alleged counterexample to Modus Ponens for indicative conditionals. Our strategy is to show that pragmatic phenomena interfere with intuitions concerning the acceptability of the inference. More specifically, we argue that two confounding factors at play affect our intuitions concerning the acceptability of the inference, neither of which is related to validity. First, the indefinite determiner phrase “a Republican” is ambiguous, to wit, it may receive either a specific or a non-specific reading (and as we shall see, substituting a disjunction or a definite description for the indefinite is of no help). Second, the conclusion triggers an ignorance inference concerning its antecedent. In light of this, we shall argue, McGee’s diagnosis must be rejected.
publishDate 2024
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2024-11
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/265319
Rubin, Mariela; Lo Guercio, Nicolás Francisco; Revisiting McGee’s Counterexample to Modus Ponens; University of Rijeka; European journal of analytic philosophy; 20; 2; 11-2024; 389-412
1845-8475
1849-0514
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/265319
identifier_str_mv Rubin, Mariela; Lo Guercio, Nicolás Francisco; Revisiting McGee’s Counterexample to Modus Ponens; University of Rijeka; European journal of analytic philosophy; 20; 2; 11-2024; 389-412
1845-8475
1849-0514
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://hrcak.srce.hr/322874
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.31820/ejap.20.2.7
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv University of Rijeka
publisher.none.fl_str_mv University of Rijeka
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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score 13.13397

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