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14 - Quantifiers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2014

James W. Garson
Affiliation:
University of Houston
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Summary

The natural semantics for standard ND rules for the quantifiers may come as something of a surprise, for it differs from both the objectual and the substitution interpretations (Section 14.3). The semantics that is expressed by the rules for the universal quantifier ∀, dubbed the sentential interpretation, is distinctly intensional and requires a side condition ensuring that the variables all denote in the same virtual domain (Section 14.4). Because of this, the sentential interpretation is not functional, and so it will be important to establish an isomorphism result to establish that it qualifies as a semantics (Section 14.5). One might hope that sequent systems that force a classical treatment of negation might be strong enough to eliminate the difference between the sentential interpretation and familiar readings of the quantifier, but Section 14.6 reveals that the difference persists. Section 14.7 shows how that difference may be exploited to establish that natural semantics (even for sequent systems with multiple conclusions) fails to be referential, that is, there is no guarantee that models of those systems can be treated as if their variables referred to objects in a virtual domain. Section 14.8 turns to the natural semantics for ∃, the existential quantifier. The surprise here is that ∃ lacks existential import. Section 14.9 points out that adoption of the omega rule is sufficient to force the substitution interpretation of the quantifiers. In Section 14.10, results of the chapter are marshaled for a criticism of Hacking’s program to limn the logical.

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What Logics Mean
From Proof Theory to Model-Theoretic Semantics
, pp. 211 - 243
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2013

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  • Quantifiers
  • James W. Garson, University of Houston
  • Book: What Logics Mean
  • Online publication: 05 June 2014
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139856461.015
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  • Quantifiers
  • James W. Garson, University of Houston
  • Book: What Logics Mean
  • Online publication: 05 June 2014
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139856461.015
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Quantifiers
  • James W. Garson, University of Houston
  • Book: What Logics Mean
  • Online publication: 05 June 2014
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139856461.015
Available formats
×