Johnston, Colin Peter;
(2002)
Solve the paradox? - A challenge to presumptions of paradox solution existence with particular reference to the case of the liar.
Masters thesis (M.Phil), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
This thesis is an argument, primarily by example, that we have no good reason to suppose that the semantic paradoxes (specifically, the liar and the Grelling) have solutions as such things are standardly conceived. Rather, the matter of solving the liar is, I suggest, a purely practical issue which will arise only in very unusual circumstances. Central to my argument is the example of a club C whose entry criterion is as follows; a person is eligible to join C if, and only if, he or she is secretary to a club which they are ineligible to join. If we enquire about the eligibility of C's own secretary, a lady who happens not to be secretary to any other club, the criterion ties itself in knots and we are landed in contradiction. However, we are not disposed in this case to find an error in the paradoxical reasoning about C's secretary (a faulty premise or inference). And a solution to the paradox will, if the secretary applies for membership, consist in taking a practical decision either to accept or to refuse her application. Having expanded my position into a more comprehensive diagnosis of semantic paradox through, inter alia, a consideration of Kripke's notion of groundedness, I defend it from attack from a number of quarters. I discuss the thought that a predicate determines a condition which an object in its domain of applicability must either meet or fail to meet, I also address concerns provoked by Curry's paradox and the principle of ex contradictione quodlibet. There is a further section in which I compare my stance with that adopted by Quine in 'The Ways of Paradox'.
| Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | M.Phil |
| Title: | Solve the paradox? - A challenge to presumptions of paradox solution existence with particular reference to the case of the liar |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Thesis digitised by ProQuest. |
| Keywords: | Philosophy, religion and theology; Paradox; The liar |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10105645 |
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