'Unless' is 'Or', Unless '¬A Unless A' is Invalid
The proper translation of "unless" into intuitionistic formalisms is examined. After a brief examination of intuitionistic writings on "unless", and on translation in general, and a close examination of Dummett's use of "unless" in Elements of Intuitionism (1975b)...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Philosophie.ch
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Dialectica |
| Online Access: | https://dialectica.philosophie.ch/dialectica/article/view/18 |
| Summary: | The proper translation of "unless" into intuitionistic formalisms is examined. After a brief examination of intuitionistic writings on "unless", and on translation in general, and a close examination of Dummett's use of "unless" in Elements of Intuitionism (1975b), I argue that the correct intuitionistic translation of "A unless B" is no stronger than "-B -> A". In particular, "unless" is demonstrably weaker than disjunction. I conclude with some observations regarding how this shows that one's choice of logic is methodologically prior to translation from informal natural language to formal systems.
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| ISSN: | 0012-2017 1746-8361 |