Contexts, non-specificity, and minimalism
Atlas (2007) argues that semantic minimalism (as defended by Cappelen & Lepore 2005) fails because it cannot deal with semantic non-specificity. I argue that thereis a plausible version of minimalism-viz., situated minimalism-which doesn't succumb to the non-specificity charge insofar as no...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universidade Estadual de Campinas
2014-06-01
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| Series: | Manuscrito |
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-60452014000100001&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1818749731540566016 |
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| author | Eros Corazza |
| author_facet | Eros Corazza |
| author_sort | Eros Corazza |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Atlas (2007) argues that semantic minimalism (as defended by Cappelen & Lepore 2005) fails because it cannot deal with semantic non-specificity. I argue that thereis a plausible version of minimalism-viz., situated minimalism-which doesn't succumb to the non-specificity charge insofar as non-specificity can be dealt with at a postsemantic level. Thus, pragmatics plays no rolewhen it comes to determining the (minimal) proposition expressed. Instead, pragmatic and other extra-semantic considerations enter the scene in characterizing the situation vis-à-vis which the proposition is evaluated. For this reason a plausible form of minimalism must embrace a form of truth-relativism: a proposition is not universally true/false, but true/false only relative to a situation. I show how the position defended is not only (i) more cognitively plausible than either (semantic) minimalism as proposed by Cappelen & Lepore or the positions appealing to pragmaticintrusion into the proposition expressed, but is also (ii) in accordance with ordinary people's intuitions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T04:08:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6b86220ee47b41698db171bb35f68911 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2317-630X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T04:08:26Z |
| publishDate | 2014-06-01 |
| publisher | Universidade Estadual de Campinas |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Manuscrito |
| spelling | doaj.art-6b86220ee47b41698db171bb35f689112022-12-21T21:21:31ZengUniversidade Estadual de CampinasManuscrito2317-630X2014-06-01371547Contexts, non-specificity, and minimalismEros Corazza0University of the Basque CountryAtlas (2007) argues that semantic minimalism (as defended by Cappelen & Lepore 2005) fails because it cannot deal with semantic non-specificity. I argue that thereis a plausible version of minimalism-viz., situated minimalism-which doesn't succumb to the non-specificity charge insofar as non-specificity can be dealt with at a postsemantic level. Thus, pragmatics plays no rolewhen it comes to determining the (minimal) proposition expressed. Instead, pragmatic and other extra-semantic considerations enter the scene in characterizing the situation vis-à-vis which the proposition is evaluated. For this reason a plausible form of minimalism must embrace a form of truth-relativism: a proposition is not universally true/false, but true/false only relative to a situation. I show how the position defended is not only (i) more cognitively plausible than either (semantic) minimalism as proposed by Cappelen & Lepore or the positions appealing to pragmaticintrusion into the proposition expressed, but is also (ii) in accordance with ordinary people's intuitions.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-60452014000100001&tlng=enContextsevaluationminimalismnon-specificitypluri-propositionalism |
| spellingShingle | Eros Corazza Contexts, non-specificity, and minimalism Manuscrito Contexts evaluation minimalism non-specificity pluri-propositionalism |
| title | Contexts, non-specificity, and minimalism |
| title_full | Contexts, non-specificity, and minimalism |
| title_fullStr | Contexts, non-specificity, and minimalism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Contexts, non-specificity, and minimalism |
| title_short | Contexts, non-specificity, and minimalism |
| title_sort | contexts non specificity and minimalism |
| topic | Contexts evaluation minimalism non-specificity pluri-propositionalism |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-60452014000100001&tlng=en |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT eroscorazza contextsnonspecificityandminimalism |