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Modus ponens
Cariani, Febrizio
2013
Abstract
This article discusses attempts to produce counterexamples to modus ponens. I open by clarifying what it means to give a counterexample to a logical principle. I then consider three types of attack on modus ponens: (i) McGee-style counterexamples in which the major premise consists of iterated conditionals (ii) Lycan-style counterexamples and (iii) objections to modus ponens based on counterexamples to modus tollens. For each kind of counterexample, I discuss the main critical responses. In the final section, I implement a formal semantics that is independently motivated: one can combine this semantics with two different definitions of logical consequence. According to one of them, modus ponens is invalid. According to the other, it is valid.
Journal
Publisher
EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste
Source
Fabrizio Cariani, "Modus ponens", in "APhEx 7", 2013, pp. 32
Languages
it
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