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130The paper argues against a commitment to metaphysical necessity, semantic modalities are enough. The best approaches to elucidate the semantic modalities are (still) versions of lingustic ersatzism and fictionalism, even if only developed in parts. Within these necessary properties and the difference between natural and semantic laws can be accounted for. The proper background theory for this is an updated version of Logical Empiricism, which is congenial to recent trends in Structural Realism. …Read more
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147The following considerations concern modelling Belief Dynamics (BD) not just in the sense of a formalization, but rather in the sense of building a computational model and implementing the corresponding data structures and algorithms of recomputing beliefs. The purpose of such a project is to illustrate some ideas about belief changes in a Web of Beliefs (WoB) to explore and deepen one's understanding of belief changes by trying to implement or improve corresponding algorithms.
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4The Egological Structure of Consciousness: Lessons from Sartre for Analytical Philosophy of MindIn Hubert L. Dreyfus & Mark A. Wrathall (eds.), A Companion to Phenomenology and Existentialism, Blackwell. 2006.This chapter contains sections titled: Using Sartre Ordinary Language and the Self Self‐Denial in the Analytic Philosophy of Mind and in Sartre A Short Phenomenology of Some Distinctions Sartre's Conception of the Pre‐Reflexive Cogito De Se Theories of Self‐Awareness A Synthesis of the Pre‐reflexive Cogito with a De Se Theory of Self‐Awareness Unity of Consciousness and Reflexive Assent Where Do Higher‐Order Theories of Consciousness Go Wrong? Conclusion.
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2Philosophische SemantikDe Gruyter. 2005.Was ist Philosophische Semantik? Bedarf es neben der Linguistik uberhaupt noch einer "philosophischen" Semantik? Welche Rolle spielt diese Semantik fur die Philosophie im Allgemeinen? Welche methodische Rolle spielt die Klarung von "Bedeutung" fur die Sprachanalytische Philosophie? Tritt die philosophische Semantik an die Stelle der Erkenntnistheorie? In welchem Verhaltnis steht sie zur Ontologie und zur Philosophie des Geistes? Diesen Fragen geht das vorliegende Buch nach. In einem zentralen Ve…Read more
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4Der Sinn des Lebens: ein Beitrag zur analytischen ReligionsphilosophieDr. Hänsel-Hohenhausen. 2002.
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111This essay tries to elucidate structural elements of consciousness by drawing on phenomenological descriptions of consciousness and employing representationalist models of consciousness. The aim is not to explain the genesis of self-awareness, but to outline different aspects of its structure.
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64Richard G. Heck, Jr. , Frege's Theorem . Reviewed by (review)Philosophy in Review 32 (4): 319-325. 2012.
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Möglichkeits-und Unmöglichkeitsbedingungen des religiösen DiskursesFreiburger Zeitschrift für Philosophie Und Theologie 44 (1-2): 44-67. 1997.
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7How Are Semantic Metarepresentations Built and Processed?Kriterion - Journal of Philosophy 1 (26): 22-38. 2012.This paper looks at some aspects of semantic metarepresentation. It is mostly concerned with questions more formal, concerning the representation format in semantic metarepresentations, and the way they are processed. Section 1 distinguishes between metacognition and metarepresen- tation in a narrow and broad sense. Section 2 reminds the reader of some main areas where metarepresentations have to be used. The main part considers the ways that metarepresentations are built and processed. Section …Read more
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2Leila Haaparanta (Ed.): The Development of Modern Logic: Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2009, 1008 pp., 150.00 $, ISBN 978-0-195-13731-6 (review)Journal for General Philosophy of Science / Zeitschrift für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie 42 (1): 189-191. 2011.
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26An introduction to paraconsistent logicsPeter Lang. 2005.This book gives an overview of paraconsistent logics - that is logics which allow for inconsistency. Although allowing for inconsistency, paraconsistent logics are worth considering: Logical systems are worth considering in their own right since we can learn about very abstract structural properties of logics and the concepts employed within them such as negation, necessity and consistency. Some non-classical logics are especially of interest from a philosophical perspective since they alone off…Read more
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35Eine Notiz zu den Argumentationsstrukturen in der „Widerlegung des Idealismus”Kant Studien 92 (1): 13-18. 2001.Kant spricht bezüglich der Widerlegung des Idealismus von einem „Beweis”. Das ist sicher der höchste Status, den er bereit ist, einem Argument zuzuschreiben. Diese Notiz hier soll zeigen, daß Kant diesen Anspruch zu Recht erhebt. Dazu reicht eine an der sprachlichen Oberflächenstruktur orientierte Formalisierung. Nun hat Kant natürlich die moderne Prädikatenlogik nicht gekannt, aber für den Gebrauch dieser Logik und ein dem gemäßes Räsonieren bedarf es bekanntlich ja auch nicht der ausdrückliche…Read more
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1Philip Hugly and Charles Sayward, Arithmetic and Ontology: A Non-Realist Philosophy of Arithmetic Reviewed byPhilosophy in Review 27 (3): 188-191. 2007.
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103C. S. Jenkins, Grounding Concepts: An Empirical Basis for Arithmetical Knowledge Reviewed byPhilosophy in Review 30 (3): 205-207. 2010.
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37Methodologische Überlegungen zu tierischen Überzeugungen / Methodological Reflections on Exploring Beliefs in AnimalsJournal for General Philosophy of Science / Zeitschrift für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie 38 (2). 2007.A theory of the beliefs of non-human animals is not closed to us, only because we do not have beliefs of their kind. Starting from a theory of human beliefs and working on a building block model of propositional attitudes a theory of animal beliefs is viable. Such a theory is an example of the broader conception of a heterophenomenological approach to animal cognition. The theory aims at outlining the crucial differences between human and animal beliefs as well as the relations between these att…Read more
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107In our dealings with animals at least most of us see them as conscious beings. On the other hand the employment of human categories to animals seems to be problematic. Reflecting on the details of human beliefs, for example, casts serious doubt on whether the cat is able to believe anything at all. These theses try to reflect on methodological issues when investigating animal minds. Developing a theory of animal mentality seems to be a test case of the interdisciplinary research programme in cog…Read more
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8Jordan Howard Sobel, Logic and Theism: Arguments for and against beliefs in God Reviewed byPhilosophy in Review 24 (5): 368-371. 2004.
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950Transcendental Logic RedefinedReview of Contemporary Philosophy 7. 2008.Traditionally transcendental logic has been set apart from formal logic. Transcendental logic had to deal with the conditions of possibility of judgements, which were presupposed by formal logic. Defined as a purely philosophical enterprise transcendental logic was considered as being a priori delivering either analytic or even synthetic a priori results. In this paper it is argued that this separation from the (empirical) cognitive sciences should be given up. Transcendental logic should be und…Read more
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Savas L. Tsohatzidis, ed., John Searle's Philosophy of Language: Force, Meaning and MindPhilosophy in Review 29 (1): 69. 2009.
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135Restall and Beall on Logical Pluralism: A CritiqueErkenntnis 79 (S2): 293-299. 2014.With their book Logical Pluralism, Jc Beall and Greg Restall have elaborated on their previous statements on logical pluralism. Their view of logical pluralism is centred on ways of understanding logical consequence. The essay tries to come to grips with their doctrine of logical pluralism by highlighting some points that might be made clearer, and questioning the force of some of Beall’s and Restall’s central arguments. In that connection seven problems for their approach are put forth: (1) The…Read more
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54David Smith and Amie Thomasson, editors, phenomenology and philosophy of mindMinds and Machines 18 (3): 417-419. 2008.
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60In this talk I consider two problems for conceptual atomism. Conceptual atomism can be defended against the criticism that it seems to contend that all concepts are simply innate (even technical concepts to pre-technological humanoids) by specifying the innateness thesis as one of mechanisms of hooking up mental representations (concepts as language of thought types) to properties in the world (§1). This theory faces a problem with non-referring expressions/concepts, it seems. Conceptual atomism…Read more
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70Conceptual atomism of this type is incompatible with many other semantic approaches. One of these approaches is justificationist semantics. This book assumes conceptual atomism.
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127Lessons from Sartre for the Analytic Philosophy of MindAnalecta Husserliana 88 63-85. 2005.There are positive and negative lessons from Sartre: - Taking up some of his ideas one may arrive at a better model of consciousness in the analytic philosophy of mind; representing some of his ideas within the language and the models of a functionalist theory of mind makes them more accessible and inte¬grates them into the wider picture. - Sartre, as any philosopher, errs at some points, I believe; but these errors may be instruc¬tive, especially in as much as they mirror some errors in some c…Read more
University of Cologne
PhD, 1993
Areas of Specialization
Logic and Philosophy of Logic |
Epistemology |
Metaphysics and Epistemology |
Areas of Interest
Epistemology |
Logic and Philosophy of Logic |
Metaphysics and Epistemology |