Sixth event of the Lugano Philosophy Colloquia: "Metametaphysics and
Semantics" - Timothy Williamson (Oxford).
June 10th at 6:00 PM (CET)
The MAP (Master in Philosophy) at USI (Università della Svizzera italiana,
Lugano) is pleased to announce the sixth talk of the Lugano Philosophy
Colloquia, "Metametaphysics and Semantics".
The guest speaker is:
Timothy Williamson (Oxford).
The talk will be chaired by:
Franz Berto (St Andrews and visiting professor at USI).
Date:
Thursday, June 10th at 6:00 PM (CET).
Location:
The talk will be held on Zoom and it will also be live-streamed on USI
Master in Philosophy Facebook page (
www.facebook.com/usimap)
Abstract:
Intensional semantics threatens to trivialize metaphysics by making all
sentences expressing necessary truths, including trivial tautologies,
express the same proposition. This threat can be found in Wittgenstein’s
*Tractatus *and in more recent work by Stalnaker and Hirsch. It is quite
different from epistemologically sourced critiques of metaphysics such as
the logical positivists’. Hyperintensional responses invoking Russellian
propositions, Fregean thoughts, impossible worlds, or other devices do not
get to the root of the problem; nor do metalinguistic reinterpretations of
metaphysical claims. The basic problem is not specific to necessary and
impossible propositions. It is that matters of cognitive significance such
as triviality and non-triviality are irreducibly sensitive to the vehicles
of content (e.g. sentences in contexts) as well as to the contents
themselves. Fine-grained accounts of metaphysical inquiry must therefore
track vehicles as well as contents. Scapegoating intensional semantics is a
misdiagnosis. To participate:
Please send an email to amm.map(a)usi.ch or write a message to our Facebook
page.
More information available on the Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/155698509858925.
This talk is part of the Lugano Philosophy Colloquia – a series of events
organized by:
Master in Philosophy at USI.
Ratio – Philosophical Association
Istituto di Studi Filosofici, Lugano.
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For any question, please write to: amm.map(a)usi.ch
We look forward to your presence.
Best regards,