Universal Logic

Logics of Plurality
Friederike Moltmann

CNRS-IHPST - France

The correct logical analysis of plural terms such as the trees in the trees are similar or the trees are green is at the center of an important debate both in formal semantics and in philosophical logic. Two fundamentally distinct approaches can be distinguished, one on which the trees refers to a single collective entity, a plurality of trees, and one on which the trees refers plurally to the various individual trees. The first tradition is linked to the work of Link and related mereological approaches, the second to the work of Boolos and subsequent work in that tradition (Oliver, Yi, Rayo and others). This course will give an overview over the two kinds of approaches to the logical analysis of plural terms with its various developments and discusses the crucial linguistic empirical and conceptual motivations for the two kinds of approaches.

Session 1:

Reference to a plurality: The mereological approach

This session discusses the motivations and the development of the mereological approach such as that of Link and others. It presents a range of potential empirical and conceptual problems for that approach.

Session 2:

Plural Reference: The second-order approach

This session will discuss the seminal work of Boolos and subsequent developments such as the work of Oliver, Rayo, Yi. It focuses on the formal and conceptual aspects of that approach.

Session 3:

This session discusses potential extensions of the second approach, such as to to mass terms like courage, as in courage is admirable. It also discusses various ramifications of the plural reference approach and the challenges it faces from the point of view of natural language.

Session 1:

Reference to a plurality: The mereological approach

This session discusses the motivations and the development of the mereological approach such as that of Link and others. It presents a range of potential empirical and conceptual problems for that approach.

Session 2:

Plural Reference: The second-order approach

This session will discuss the seminal work of Boolos and subsequent developments such as the work of Oliver, Rayo, Yi. It focuses on the formal and conceptual aspects of that approach.

Session 3:

This session discusses potential extensions of the second approach, such as to to mass terms like courage, as in courage is admirable. It also discusses various ramifications of the plural reference approach and the challenges it faces from the point of view of natural language.