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612An Indexical Theory of ConditionalsDialogue 20 (4): 644-664. 1981.Language theorists have recently come to have an increasing appreciation for the fact that context contributes heavily in determining our interpretation of what is said. Indeed, it now seems clear that no complete understanding of a natural language is possible without some account of the way in which context affects our interpretation of discourse. In this paper, I will attempt to explore one facet of the language – context relationship, namely, the relation between conditionals and context. Th…Read more
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198Logical ConstantsMind 108 (431). 1999.There is as yet no settled consensus as to what makes a term a logical constant or even as to which terms should be recognized as having this status. This essay sets out and defends a rationale for identifying logical constants. I argue for a two-tiered approach to logical theory. First, a secure, core logical theory recognizes only a minimal set of constants needed for deductively systematizing scientific theories. Second, there are extended logical theories whose objectives are to systematize …Read more
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135Time, change and time without changeSynthese 194 (8): 3047-3067. 2017.The issue whether there is any necessary connection between time and change turns, I argue, on the problem of what constitutes an accurate measurement of how much time passes. Given a plausible hypothesis about how time is measured, Shoemaker’s well known argument that time can pass without change can be seen to be unsound. But Shoemaker’s conclusion is not therefore false. The same hypothesis about time measurement supports a revised version of Shoemaker’s argument, and the revised argument doe…Read more
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130Primitive representation and misrepresentationTopoi 11 (1): 89-101. 1992.This paper develops a statistical approach to the problem of primitive representation. Representation of the kind commonly attributed to litmus paper, fuel gauges and tree rings occurs when, so to speak, there is a sufficiently good correlation between two variables. The fundamental distinction between misrepresentation and non-representation is explained in terms of the notion of an informationally useful correlation. The paper further argues that the statistical approach satisfactorily resolve…Read more
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83Counterfactuals and substitution of equivalent antecedentsJournal of Philosophical Logic 10 (2). 1981.
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75Beliefs and sentences in the headSynthese 79 (2): 201-30. 1989.It is argued thatde dicto andde re beliefs are attitudes towards syntactically structured entities (sentences) in the head. In order to identify the content of ade dicto orde re belief, we must be able to match causal relations of belief states to natural language inferences. Such match-ups provide sufficient empirical justification for regarding those causal relations as syntactic transformations, that is, inferences. But only syntactically structured entities are capable of enjoying such infer…Read more
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60Temporal VacuaPhilosophical Quarterly 54 (215). 2004.I show to be unsuccessful several attempts to demonstrate the possibility of time without change. Consideration of the most prominent of these arguments (by Sydney Shoemaker) then leads to the formulation of a general argument: evidence which justifies a claim that a certain amount of time has elapsed also justifies a claim that continuous change has occurred during the period. Hence there is a sound basis for the relationist claim that there is no time without events
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55Beliefs and Sentences in the HeadSynthese 79 (2). 1989.It is argued thatde dicto andde re beliefs are attitudes towards syntactically structured entities (sentences) in the head. In order to identify the content of ade dicto orde re belief, we must be able to match causal relations of belief states to natural language inferences. Such match-ups provide sufficient empirical justification for regarding those causal relations as syntactic transformations, that is, inferences. But only syntactically structured entities are capable of enjoying such infer…Read more
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31The Philosopher's Dictionary Robert M. Martin Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 1991, iii + 255 pp (review)Dialogue 33 (1): 171-. 1994.
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27Theoretical Devices for Marking Semantic AnomaliesCanadian Journal of Philosophy 3 (3). 1974.One of the intriguing features of the semantic theories proposed by Jerry Fodor and Jerrold Katz is that they attempt to provide a criterion for semantic anomaly. Ostensibly, the criterion would enable one to determine when a phrase is semantically absurd or incongruous even in cases where the phrase appears to be grammatically proper. For example, phrases such as ‘spinster insecticide’ and ‘female uncle’ would be marked as anomalous in the semantic theory even though they seem grammatically on …Read more
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21Behaviourism, neuroscience and translational indeterminacyAustralasian Journal of Philosophy 69 (1). 1991.No abstract
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1David Bolter, Turing's Man: Western Culture in the Computer Age Reviewed byPhilosophy in Review 5 (5): 188-190. 1985.
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HARRY M. BRACKEN, "Mind and Language: Essays on Descartes and Chomsky" (review)Dialogue 26 (2): 365. 1987.
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David Bolter, Turing's Man: Western Culture in the Computer Age (review)Philosophy in Review 5 188-190. 1985.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Areas of Interest
Metaphysics |
Philosophy of Language |
Philosophy of Mind |
Logic and Philosophy of Logic |