A Recipe for Paradox: A Better Schema than the Inclosure Schema (Rashed Ahmad)

The Logic and Metaphysics Workshop will meet on September 27th from 4:15-6:15 (NY time) via Zoom for a talk by Rashed Ahmad (University of Connecticut).

Title: A Recipe for Paradox (A Better Schema than the Inclosure Schema)

Abstract: In this talk, we provide a recipe that not only captures the common structure between semantic paradoxes but it also captures our intuitions regarding the relations between these paradoxes. Before we unveil our recipe, we first talk about a popular schema introduced by Graham Priest, namely, the inclosure schema. Without rehashing previous arguments against the inclosure schema, we contribute different arguments for the same concern that the inclosure schema bundles the wrong paradoxes together. That is, we will provide alternative arguments on why the inclosure schema is both too broad for including the Sorites paradox, and too narrow for excluding Curry’s paradox. We then spell out our recipe. Our recipe consists of three ingredients: (1) a predicate that has two specific rules, (2) a simple method to find a partial negative modality, and (3) a diagonal lemma that would allow us to let sentences be their partial negative modalities. The recipe shows that all of the following paradoxes share the same structure: The liar, Curry’s paradox, Validity Curry, Provability Liar, a paradox leading to Löb’s theorem, Knower’s paradox, Knower’s Curry, Grelling-Nelson’s paradox, Russell’s paradox in terms of extensions, alternative liar and alternative Curry, and other unexplored paradoxes. We conclude the talk by stating the lessons that we can learn from the recipe, and what kind of solutions does the recipe suggest if we want to adhere to the Principle of Uniform Solution.

Carnap is not a Pluralist (Teresa Kouri Kissel)

The Logic and Metaphysics Workshop will meet on September 20th from 4:15-6:15 (NY time) via Zoom for a talk by Teresa Kouri Kissel (Old Dominion University).

Title: Carnap is not a Pluralist

Abstract: Rudolf Carnap is often thought to be a prototype of a logical pluralist. That is, Carnap is thought to hold that more than one logic is correct. I will show in this paper that he cannot be a logical pluralist. I will also show that he cannot be a logical monist or nihilist. In effect, depending on how and where we ask “is logical pluralism true?”, or “how many logics are correct?”, we will find that the answer differs. Thus, he cannot be said to hold that only one of those theories is correct.

Metaphysical Overdetermination (Ricki Bliss)

The Logic and Metaphysics Workshop will meet on September 13th from 4:15-6:15 (NY time) via Zoom for a talk by Ricki Bliss (Lehigh University).

Title: Metaphysical Overdetermination

Abstract: It is widely recognized by proponents of the notion that grounding can be, indeed is, overdetermined.  Further to this, it seems safe to suppose that something of a consensus has emerged: grounding is overdetermined and there is nothing about it, either conceptually or metaphysically, that we ought to find concerning.  But from a small sampling of alleged cases no such conclusions can responsibly be drawn.  This paper aims to demonstrate that there is nothing obvious or straightforward about grounding overdetermination and that the topic is deserving of much more serious philosophical attention.

Fall 2021 Schedule

The Logic and Metaphysics Workshop will be meeting on Mondays from 4:15 to 6:15 (NY time) entirely online, unless otherwise noted. The provisional schedule is as follows:

Sep 13. Ricki Bliss (Lehigh University)

Sep 20. Teresa Kouri Kissel (Old Dominion University)

Sep 27. Rashed Ahmad (University of Connecticut)

Oct 4. Yale Weiss (CUNY GC)

Oct 11. NO MEETING

Oct 18. Rohit Parikh (CUNY GC)

Oct 25. Noah Friedman-Biglin (San José State University)

Nov 1. Thomas Macaulay Ferguson (University of Amsterdam)

Nov 8. Roman Kossak (CUNY GC)

Nov 15. Sara Uckelman (Durham University)

Nov 22. Konstantinos Georgatos (John Jay)

Nov 29. Martin Pleitz (Münster)

Dec 6. Dirk Batens (University of Ghent)

Dec 13. Dolf Rami (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)