Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Cambridge, 1994. / Cover title. "January 1994." Includes bibliographical references.

Orientador: Ítala Maria Loffredo D'Ottaviano / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-19T12:55:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Andrade_RamonSouzaCapelle_D.pdf: 2199404 bytes, checksum: 2cfe6779d4b1e626d3847b217ffd7a7f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: O objetivo desta Tese consiste em defender que (a) os condicionais constituem a forma lógica subjacente à manifestação das leis naturais, das leis biológicas e dos hábitos psicocomportamentais. Defendemos, também, que, (b) embora tenhamos a mesma forma lógica subjacente à manifestação dessas regularidades (leis, hábitos), não temos, contudo, o mesmo grau de conexão entre antecedentes e conseqüentes nesses contextos de realidade (físico-químico, biológico e psicocomportamental). Em concordância com a nossa interpretação de parte da Hipótese Cosmológica de Peirce, defendemos que: (c) as leis naturais fortemente determinam seus conseqüentes (Se o antecedente acontece, então o conseqüente quase-necessariamente se segue), (d) as leis biológicas moderadamente determinam seus conseqüentes (Se o antecedente acontece, então o conseqüente muito provavelmente se segue) e (e) os hábitos psicocomportamentais fracamente determinam seus conseqüentes (Se o antecedente acontece, então o conseqüente provavelmente se segue). Anexamos o rótulo Hipótese do Espectro de Determinação de Condicionais Causais a essas diferentes (quase-necessária, muito provável e provável) modalidades de conexão entre antecedentes e conseqüentes. Oferecemos (f), com base na semântica de David Lewis (2005), um modelo para esse espectro de determinação, e procuramos expressar a determinação do condicional e, ao mesmo tempo, deixar espaço para a indeterminação ou acaso. Procuramos (g) caracterizar sistema e organização, e (h) argumentamos que um hábito constitui um componente organizacional da estrutura psicocomportamental de um agente. Oferecemos (i) uma classificação dos hábitos em hábitos que estabelecem os traços da identidade do sistema/agente, hábitos racionais e hábitos degenerados. Procuramos ainda (j) caracterizar a auto-organização e (l) analisar como um processo de auto-organização secundária se estabelece na estrutura psicocomportamental de um agente / Abstract: The objective of this thesis consists in arguing that (a) conditionals constitute the logical form underlying the manifestation of natural laws, biological laws, and psycho-behavioral habits. It is also argued that (b) even though we find the same logical form underlying the manifestation of these regularities (laws and habits), we do not find, however, the same degree of connection between antecedents and consequents in the relevant contexts of reality (physico-chemical, biological, and psycho-behavioral). In accord with our interpretation of part of Peirce's cosmological hypothesis, we argue that (c) natural laws strongly determine their consequents (if the antecedent occurs, then the consequent almost necessarily follows), (d) biological laws moderately determine their consequents (if the antecedent occurs, then the consequent very probably follows), and (e) psycho-behavioral habits weakly determine their consequents (if the antecedent occurs, then the consequent probably follows) We use the appellation "hypothesis of the spectrum of determination of causal conditionals" to express these different modalities of connection between antecedents and consequents (almost-necessary, very probable, and probable). Based on the semantics of David Lewis (2005), we propose (f) a model for this spectrum of determination, and we seek to express the determination of the conditional and, at the same time, to allow room for indetermination or chance. We seek (g) to characterize system and organization, and we argue that (h) a habit constitutes an organizational component in the psycho-behavioral structure of an agent. We offer (i) a threefold classification of habits into habits that establish the features of the identity of the system/agent, rational habits, and degenerate habits. We seek (j) to characterize self-organization, and (k) to analyze how a process of secondary self-organization establishes itself in the psycho-behavioral structure of an agent / Doutorado / Filosofia / Doutor em Filosofia

Doctorat en philosophie et lettres / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This thesis is essentially a portfolio of four disjoint yet thematically related articles that deal with some semantic aspect or another of natural language conditionals. The thesis opens with a brief introductory chapter that offers a short yet opinionated historical overview and a theoretical background of several important semantic issues of conditionals. The second chapter then deals with the issue of truth values and conditions of indicative conditionals. So-called Gibbard Phenomenon cases have been used to argue that indicative conditionals construed in terms of the Ramsey Test cannot have truth values. Since that conclusion is somewhat incredible, several alternative options are explored. Finally, a contextualised revision of the Ramsey Test is offered which successfully avoids the threats of the Gibbard Phenomenon. The third chapter deals with the question of where to draw the so-called indicative/ subjunctive line. Natural language conditionals are commonly believed to be of two semantically distinct types: indicative and subjunctive. Although this distinction is central to many semantic analyses of natural conditionals, there seems to be no consensus on the details of its nature. While trying to uncover the grounds for the distinction, we will argue our way through several plausible proposals found in the literature. Upon discovering that none of these proposals seem entirely suited, we will reconsider our position and make several helpful observations into the nature of conditional sentences. And finally, in light of our observations, we shall propose and argue for plausible grounds for the indicative/subjunctive distinction.distinction. The fourth chapter offers semantics for modal and amodal natural language conditionals based on the distinction proposed in the previous chapter. First, the nature of modal and amodal suppositions will be explored. Armed with an analysis of modal and amodal suppositions, the corresponding conditionals will be examined further. Consequently, the syntax of conditionals in English will be uncovered for the purpose of providing input for our semantics. And finally, compositional semantics in generative grammar will be offered for modal and amodal conditionals. The fifth and final chapter defends Modus Ponens from alleged counterexamples. In particular, the chapter offers a solution to McGee’s infamous counterexamples. First, several solutions offered to the counterexamples hitherto are all argued to be inadequate. After a couple of observations on the counterexamples’ nature, a solution is offered and demonstrated. the solution suggests that the semantics of embedded natural language conditionals is more sophisticated than their surface syntax indicates. The heart of the solution is a translation function from the surface form of natural language conditionals to their logical form. Finally, the thesis ends with a conclusion that briefly summarises the main conclusions drawn in its preceding chapters.