Vagueness: A Guide

Introduction Vagueness and...

Contents

Contributors

Notes on the Contributors

1 The Sorites Paradox

1.1 The Sorites Puzzle

1.2 The Sorites Paradox

1.2.1 The Conditional Sorites

1.2.2 Responding to the Conditional Sorites

1.2.3 The Phenomenal Sorites

1.2.4 The Identity Sorites

1.2.5 The Mathematical Induction Sorites

1.2.6 The Line-Drawing Sorites

1.2.7 The Forced March Sorites

1.3 Soriticality and Vagueness

References

2 Vagueness and Metaphysics

2.1 Vague Objects and Vague Identity: Evans’s Argument

2.2 Is Evans’s Argument Question-Begging?

2.3 Lessons from the Parallel Between Evans’s Argument and the Barcan-Kripke Proof of the Necessity of Identity

2.4 A Stripped-Down Version of Evans’s Argument

2.5 A Plausible Example of Ontically Indeterminate Identity

2.6 The Paradox of the 1,001 Cats, the Problem of the Many, and Vagueness of Constitution

2.7 Vagueness and Persistence: Perdurance Versus Endurance

2.8 Vague Identity, Vague Existence, and Sorites-Style Reasoning

2.9 Does the Notion of Vague Existence Make Any Sense?

2.10 Concluding Remarks

References

3 Vagueness and Logic

3.1 Setting Up

3.2 The Ordinary Model Theory Will Do

3.3 Partial Interpretations, and Sharpenings Thereof

3.3.1 Supervaluation

3.3.2 Open-Texture

3.3.3 Inconsistency Again

3.3.4 Addendum: Running Up the Orders

3.4 Many-Values

3.4.1 Truth-Functionality

3.4.2 Non-truth-Functionality

3.4.3 Having Our Cake and Eating It, Too

3.4.4 Addendum: Running Up the Orders Again

References

4 Vagueness and Meaning

4.1 Introduction

4.2 The Governing View

4.2.1 The Governing View and Epistemicist Theories

4.2.2 The Governing View and Contextualist Theories

4.2.3 The Governing View and Indeterminist Theories

4.3 The Relation of Meaning to Use

4.3.1 Meaning, Use, and Epistemicist Theories

4.3.2 Meaning, Use, and Contextualist Theories

4.3.3 Meaning, Use, and Indeterminist Theories

4.4 Open Texture

4.4.1 Open Texture and Epistemicist Theories

4.4.2 Open Texture and Contextualist Theories

4.4.3 Open Texture and Indeterminist Theories

4.5 The Problem of Inappropriate Precision

4.5.1 The Problem of Inappropriate Precision and Epistemicist Theories

4.5.2 The Problem of Inappropriate Precision and Contextualist Theories

4.5.3 The Problem of Inappropriate Precision and Indeterminacy Theories

4.6 Conclusion

References

5 Vagueness and Observationality

5.1 The Two Difficulties

5.2 Indiscriminability and the Sorites

5.3 Non-transitivity and Phenomenal Continua

5.4 Unattended Phenomenal Differences: An Experiment

5.5 Conclusion

References

6 Vagueness and Linguistics

6.1 Introduction

6.2 What Is Vagueness?

6.3 Why Vagueness?

6.4 Gradable Adjectives

6.4.1 The Degree Based Account

6.4.2 The Delineation Approach

6.4.3 Absolute Terms and Comparison Classes

6.4.4 Comparison Classes and Relative Adjectives

6.4.5 Degrees and Measures

6.5 Tolerance and the Sorites Paradox

6.5.1 Semi-orders

6.5.2 Contextual Solutions to the Sorites Paradox

6.5.3 Boundaryless Concepts and Higher Order Vagueness

6.6 Vagueness and Granularity

6.6.1 Absolute Terms Revisited

6.6.2 Standards of Precision

6.6.3 Granularity and Relevance

6.7 Conclusion

References

7 Vagueness and Law

7.1 Law Is Reflexive

7.2 Vagueness in Law Is Extravagant

7.3 Extravagant Vagueness and the Regulation of the Life of a Community

7.3.1 The Need for Vague Legislation

7.3.2 Vagueness in Interpretation

7.3.3 Non-linguistic Vagueness in Customary Rules (and in the Framework Rules of the System in Particular)

7.3.4 Private Ordering

7.4 Discretion and the Rule of Law Problem

7.4.1 Bivalence in Law

7.4.2 Arbitrariness and the Rule of Law

7.5 Conclusion

References

Index