Questions tagged [natural-language]
The natural-language tag has no usage guidance.
30
questions
0
votes
0
answers
7
views
Are there any mathematical expressions that fall out of an expression with natural language?
I was wondering if there were any concepts that can only be described and expressed mathematically and are unable to be expressed with natural language?
To me it's a question of the chicken or the egg ...
- 319
3
votes
3
answers
86
views
What is the logic of the coordinating conjunction BUT?
What is the logical difference between "and" and "but"?
Is it really possible to oppose "and" and "but" in this sense?
Is it really possible to reduce the logic ...
- 6,232
4
votes
6
answers
1k
views
Who ever argued that natural languages have an exact logic?
Peter F. Strawson famously concluded his 1950 critique of Bertrand Russell's theory of descriptions by the somewhat irrelevant remark that ordinary language has "no exact logic". Russell, in ...
- 6,232
0
votes
1
answer
59
views
Going against the limits of language
I vaguely remember a sentence of Wittgenstein which was about the duty of philosophy: that is, to go against the limits of the language. This was in his late period of philosophy.
What is the precise ...
- 117
4
votes
2
answers
67
views
If moral statements aren't supposed to be reports of objective facts, does the practice of "fallacy checking" apply to moral arguments?
Maybe this is just a case of Jörgensen’s dilemma, but so I was reading the SEP article about feminist perspectives on argumentation, more specifically this passage:
The difficulty some philosophers ...
- 12.2k
1
vote
2
answers
77
views
Is disjunction pointless in intuitionistic logic?
Sec. 5.3 of the SEP article on constructive and intuitionistic set theories makes note of a property meant for theories that compromise on the LEM:
A theory T has the disjunction property (DP) if ...
- 12.2k
1
vote
2
answers
83
views
How would a logician define the phrase "all other things being the same"?
Here are some Examples of the Phrase
All other things Being the Same
All other things being the same, the juice of a Granny Smith Apple is more acidic than a the juice of a Red Delicious Apple.
All ...
1
vote
1
answer
90
views
Does a definite description such as "the train" or "the student" always signal uniqueness of the referent?
Some authors claims that a definite description such as "the king" does not necessarily signal uniqueness. Examples given:
(1) I’ve got this data from the student of a linguist. — Poesio (...
- 6,232
0
votes
0
answers
51
views
Can formal languages have verbs?
Perhaps stupid question but I ask nonetheless.
The question: Can Formal languages have a concept of a verb? If never, why can't they?
Context: In natural language, we have verbs to describe action. In ...
- 2,108
1
vote
1
answer
58
views
Is natural language logic agnostic?
Is natural language logic agnostic? By that, I mean are there rules in classical logic that is implied to be true by natural language, are there logic rules in classical logic that must be true in ...
- 3,787
3
votes
3
answers
872
views
Are the concept of time and space apriori to natural language or are they just references within natural language?
Are the concept of time and space apriori to natural language or are they just references within natural language? Time and space are fundamental concepts to existence and ontology. Natural languages ...
- 3,787
0
votes
4
answers
386
views
Why is math powerful?
I've been having this thought for days now, and I haven't been able to come up with a satisfactory answer.
It seems to me that one can arguably caricature mathematics as an impoverished natural ...
user42828
1
vote
2
answers
86
views
Can we define a sequence of words?
Suppose that we define:
"The president of USA" := John
Is it correct to say that when we have a statement like:
"The president of USA plays football".
we can expand it like:
"...
- 159
2
votes
1
answer
94
views
Is the semantic/model-theoretic regress an infinite, vicious regress? [closed]
Logic consists of proofs, not bold assertions. Semantics means assigning truth-values, it's kind of unavoidable, syntax alone is just string concatenation. You can't do away with axioms either.
Also, ...
- 29
3
votes
2
answers
350
views
What does the emergence of different interpretations of Wittgenstein signify?
So I was listening to this Podcast about Wittgenstein the speakers are the Professor of Philosophy of University of South Hampton - Ray Monk, Senior Lecturer of University of York - Mary Macgin and ...
- 1,926
2
votes
1
answer
82
views
Do spoken languages have a sense of operators with 'order of operations'
This is something I came across while thinking about expressing a 'nested' choice, i.e. you make a choice where one of the options entails making another choice, for example, at college you could ...
- 1,073
0
votes
1
answer
140
views
What is the logical function of “and/or”?
In natural language, we often use an enumeration or list of things with only a single logical operator. I am especially puzzled by the use of "and/or" and what it is supposed to mean in this ...
- 111
6
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Why don't we say the "unreasonable effectiveness of language"?
What's so special or unique about mathematics that we keep coming back to this phrasing?
It isn't universal concision - there are many concepts more concisely put in English than math. Like to show ...
- 2,385
3
votes
2
answers
191
views
Formal versions of exotic logical connectives in natural language
Formal logic tends to be concerned with minimal or at least almost-minimal sets of logical connectives. The standard logical connectives are and, or, implies, iff, neg (I couldn't use Latex for their ...
- 251
-1
votes
2
answers
102
views
Is it rational to use disjunctive imperative sentences?
Suppose you tell someone, "Go to the store or go to the creek." Now, if this person is otherwise predisposed to one option, and your command triggers this predisposition, then by issuing the ...
- 12.2k
0
votes
0
answers
57
views
Is "always" omitted in mathematics?
Consider the statement: "For two numbers a,b their product is positive". For this statement to be true it must be true for every a,b right? So is the above statement equivalent to: "For two numbers a,...
- 691
3
votes
2
answers
421
views
Logical fallacy: Person argues with wrong probability of event, without considering similar events
I know that this is a common error in argumentation that people make, but I don't know if there is a term for it. It's when people argue from an event being remarkable because of its low probability, ...
- 702
9
votes
1
answer
783
views
Does there exist a "valid" application of Gödel's incompleteness to "logical natural language statements"?
Does there exist a "valid" application of Gödel's incompleteness to "logical natural language statements"?
It can be found to sometimes be naively applied that way, even when the incompleteness ...
- 2,872
1
vote
1
answer
316
views
Wittgenstein and theology
Wittgenstein noted that we engage in language games and quite often we borrow words from different games and misuse them such as using words with scientific connotations in religious discourse or ...
2
votes
4
answers
322
views
Language and Philosophy
It is clear that many words are defined by how they are used. That context defines the word. The setting of the environment together constitutes the context, and a word is a meaningless string which ...
- 1,065
3
votes
0
answers
170
views
Relation of Mathematical Propositions to Natural Language
Treating Natural Language as a language game, what role does it play in our understanding of mathematics? Does natural language provide meaning to mathematics?
Does a proof of a conjecture, say FLT,...
- 1,065
0
votes
1
answer
327
views
Natural language into propositional logic
Need some help putting these two examples of natural language into sentence logic. For reference, use the transcription guide below:
D = you think so; E = I think so; F = it is true
If you think so, ...
- 127
1
vote
1
answer
139
views
Where Wittgenstein argues that thinking is done in natural language?
I am looking for a precise reference where Wittgenstein writes about the use of ordinary language when people think, and that they do not use formal logic. Even in the case of mathematics.
Can you ...
- 117
2
votes
1
answer
255
views
Questions about the relationship between Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations and Tractatus
I've read the Tractatus and am now working my way through Investigations, and I have a few questions about their relationship to one another. Obviously I've heard that the latter is critical of the ...
- 141
5
votes
5
answers
458
views
Is an argument in natural language as logically valid as in formal logic?
Is a natural language philosophical argument which is argued strictly from first principles widely considered equally as valid as a proof written in formal logic?
- 225