"This book is valuable as expounding in full a theory of meaning that has its roots in the work of Frege and has been of the widest influence.

This book traces the development of formal logic from its origins in ancient Greece to the present day. The authors first discuss the work of logicians from Aristotle to Frege, showing how they were influenced by the philosophical or mathematical ideas of their time. They then examine developments in the present century.

SummaryThe key terms in Kant's argument for the synthetic apriority of mathematics are analyzed. The result is a somewhat “idealized” interpretation of these terms, which, however, is appropriate in respect of Kant's main argument. Taking this interpretation as a framework, a model for giving evidence for numerical statements is presented, which is in good agreement with Kant's argument, and according to which numerical statements are indeed synthetic and also, in a sense, a priori. Thus they formally render counter‐instances to Hume's (...) thesis that no general synthetic statements can be a priori. Nevertheless they do not play the part given to them in Kant's metaphysics, since they turn out not to be “genuinely” general, so that no Copernican revolution is required to explain their epistemic nature. (shrink)

CONTENTS: 1 Introductory Remark; 2 Formalism of Empirical Theories; 3 Semantics of Formalized Languages; 4 Interpretation of Empirical Theories; 5 Interpretation of Observational Terms; 6 Interpretation of Theoretical Terms; 7 Main Types of Meaning Postulates for Theoretical Terms; 8 Some Other Kinds of Meaning Postulates for Theoretical Terms; 9 Main Types of Statements in an Empirical Theory; 10 Towards a More Realistic Account; 11 Concluding Remarks; 12 Bibliographical Note.

überall einen richtigen Gebrauch der reinen Vernunft giebt, in welchem Fall es auch einen Canon derselben geben muß, so wird dieser nicht den speculativen, sondernden pr.ntischen Vernunftgebrauch betreffen, den wir also iezt ...

The book attempts, in as comprehensive a way as possible, to make clear the central issues for the theory of knowledge, so as to provide a framework for that subject and also to indicate something of the way in which, as the author believes, the issues should be faced.

I LOGIC IN PHILOSOPHY— PHILOSOPHY OF LOGIC i. On the relation of logic to philosophy I n this book, the consequences of certain logical insights for ...