Week 6 Flashcards
What is vagueness?
one sense, but flexibility in its application
What are the 3 tests to distinguish ambiguity from vagueness?
zeugma test, intention test, and contrast test
Explain the intention test
the speaker should be able to say which was intended, no “I don’t know” answer
Explain the contrast test
the meanings can be contrasted in a sentence e.g. I have both bats and bats (two different senses)
Explain the zeugma test
the word cannot be used with two different meanings simultaneously - also referred to as punning (used for comedic effect)
What is analycity?
propositions that can never be false are analytic (or logically true)
What is contradiction?
propositions that can never be true are contradictory or (logically false)
What is syntheticity?
propositions that are true in some contexts but false in others are synthetic (or contingent)
Define entailment
if proposition P guarantees the truth of proposition Q, then P entails Q
Define equivalence
if P entails Q and Q entails P, then P and Q are equivalent
Define contradiction
two propositions contradict each other if they can’t be true at the same time
What is inference?
the information carried by a sentence is its proposition and its inferences
Describe Modus Ponens
if P, then Q - P/Q
Describe Modus Tollens
if P, then Q - ~P/~Q
