Chapter 3

1. Chapter 3 Logic and Language

2. Preview of 3.1 - 3.3 • Problem areas • 3.1 • Proposition • 3.2 • Subtlety of definitional terms • 3.3 • Largely unproblematic

3. Chapter 3.1 • This chapter is about “What is actually meant by . . . .” • Which of these concepts/terms were difficult? • Proposition • Cognitive meaning • Emotive force • For the concepts/terms that were confusing, can someone clarify it for us by defining and giving at least one example, or the range of examples, of it? • Why is it important to understand these concepts/terms? • Review problematic exercises

4. Chapter 3.2 • Which of these concepts/terms were difficult? • Ambiguity versus vagueness • Extensional definition • Ostensive • Enumerative • Subclassical • Intensional definition • Lexical (genus & differentia) • Stipulative • Precising • Theoretical • For the concepts/terms that were confusing, can someone clarify it for us by defining and giving at least one example, or the range of examples, of it? • Why is it important to understand these concepts/terms? • Review problematic exercises

5. Why care about definitions? • ‘Define’ literally means to put ‘limits around’ (fr. L. de ‘about’ + finis‘limit’). • So, definition limitsmeanings. • Minimizes • vagueness (meaningsshading off into other areas) • ambiguity (more than one meaning) • Minimizes complications of “It all depends on what you mean by __________.”

6. Definition by extension • Pointing (a.k.a. ‘ostensive’) • actually showing one or more cases • Enumeration • listing individual examples • Subclass • listing types or categories • Exhaustive v. non-exhaustive?

7. Intensional definition • Stipulative: personal, ad hoc, coined or not • Lexical: positive, descriptive, dictionary-type, though not necessarily exclusively so • Precising: minimizes vagueness & ambiguity, to “put a fine point on it,” to distinguish precise meaning frompopular meaning • Theoretical: places a term in a particular context; may give meaning to both term and context • Persuasive: affective, subjective, emotive

8. Definition by intension • Synonym • Another word (lit.  ‘similar’ +  ‘name’) • Etymology • Linguistic genealogy (lit. ‘true’ + s‘account’) • Test • Establishes criteria to be met • Genus + difference/differentia • “garden variety” definition technique: ‘x is a y [that . . . .]’

9. Chapter 3.2, cont’d. • Which of these concepts/terms were difficult? • Genus versus difference/differentia • Definiendumversusdefiniens • Counterexample • For the concepts/terms that were confusing, can someone clarify it for us by defining and giving at least one example, or the range of examples, of it? • Why is it important to understand these concepts/terms? • What are the criteria for producing a good definition? • Not to wide • Not to narrow • Not obscure, ambiguous, figurative • Not circular • Not negative if it can be positive • Not use unsuitable criteria to determine extension • Review problematic exercises

10. Ways of defining: terms • ‘definiendum’: word to be defined • ‘definiens’: words doing the defining • ‘extension’: set of objects in defined class • ‘intension’: properties of objects in class

11. Rules • What is meant by essential characteristics (necessary & sufficient)? • How can the definiens be too broad or narrow? • What is meant by circularity? • Cite examples of ambiguity, obscurity, figurative or emotive language.

12. Chapter 3.3 • Which of these concepts/terms were difficult? • Equivocation versus merely verbal dispute • Persuasive definition • For the concepts/terms that were confusing, can someone clarify it for us by defining and giving at least one example, or the range of examples, of it? • Why is it important to understand these concepts/terms? • Review problematic exercises