The Ockham Society (Thursday - Week 4, HT22)

Ockham Society

Considerations based on Tarskian model-theoretic semantics is ubiquitous in metaphysical theorising. However, to what extant are we justified in using model-theoretic semantics to theorise metaphysics? In this talk, I will offer a case study to show that certain problems faced by ontic structuralists can be easily solved through adopting a semantics of higher-order logic (or many-sorted logic) in which the notion ‘satisfaction’ is taken as primitive. The purpose of this talk is not to offer an abductive argument for the legitimacy of this novel semantics, nor is it to suggest that these problems should be solved by adopting such a semantics. The sole purpose of this talk is to show that Tarskian model-theoretic semantics indeed introduces draconian restrictions to our metaphysical theorising. The use of model-theoretic semantics in metaphysics, then, is not as innocent as it might appear to be. 


Ockham Society Convenors: Lara Scheibli and Kimon Sourlas - Kotzamanis | Ockham Society Website