Acts and Alternative Analyses
Båve, Arvid LU
(2019)
In The Journal of Philosophy
116(4).
p.181-205
- Abstract
- I show that the act-type theories of Soames and Hanks entail that every sentence with alternative analyses (including every atomic sentence with a polyadic predicate) is ambiguous, many of them massively so. I assume that act types directed toward distinct objects are themselves distinct, plus some standard semantic axioms, and infer that act-type theorists are committed to saying that ‘Mary loves John’ expresses both the act type of predicating [loving John] of Mary and that of predicating [being loved by Mary] of John. Since the two properties are distinct, so are the act types. Hence, the sentence expresses two propositions. I also discuss a non-standard “pluralist” act-type theory, as well as some retreat positions, which all come with... (More)
- I show that the act-type theories of Soames and Hanks entail that every sentence with alternative analyses (including every atomic sentence with a polyadic predicate) is ambiguous, many of them massively so. I assume that act types directed toward distinct objects are themselves distinct, plus some standard semantic axioms, and infer that act-type theorists are committed to saying that ‘Mary loves John’ expresses both the act type of predicating [loving John] of Mary and that of predicating [being loved by Mary] of John. Since the two properties are distinct, so are the act types. Hence, the sentence expresses two propositions. I also discuss a non-standard “pluralist” act-type theory, as well as some retreat positions, which all come with considerable problems. Finally, I extrapolate to a general constraint on theories of structured propositions, and find that Jeffrey King’s theory has the same unacceptable consequence as the act-type theory. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/6d53849f-19c3-4122-82cb-86d45a8c1c3b
- author
- Båve, Arvid
LU
- publishing date
- 2019
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- The Journal of Philosophy
- volume
- 116
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 181 - 205
- publisher
- Journal of Philosophy, Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85070446307
- ISSN
- 0022-362X
- DOI
- 10.5840/jphil2019116412
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 6d53849f-19c3-4122-82cb-86d45a8c1c3b
- date added to LUP
- 2021-11-07 21:39:05
- date last changed
- 2025-10-14 10:41:54
@article{6d53849f-19c3-4122-82cb-86d45a8c1c3b,
abstract = {{I show that the act-type theories of Soames and Hanks entail that every sentence with alternative analyses (including every atomic sentence with a polyadic predicate) is ambiguous, many of them massively so. I assume that act types directed toward distinct objects are themselves distinct, plus some standard semantic axioms, and infer that act-type theorists are committed to saying that ‘Mary loves John’ expresses both the act type of predicating [loving John] of Mary and that of predicating [being loved by Mary] of John. Since the two properties are distinct, so are the act types. Hence, the sentence expresses two propositions. I also discuss a non-standard “pluralist” act-type theory, as well as some retreat positions, which all come with considerable problems. Finally, I extrapolate to a general constraint on theories of structured propositions, and find that Jeffrey King’s theory has the same unacceptable consequence as the act-type theory.}},
author = {{Båve, Arvid}},
issn = {{0022-362X}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{4}},
pages = {{181--205}},
publisher = {{Journal of Philosophy, Inc.}},
series = {{The Journal of Philosophy}},
title = {{Acts and Alternative Analyses}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.5840/jphil2019116412}},
doi = {{10.5840/jphil2019116412}},
volume = {{116}},
year = {{2019}},
}