Propositions

Description

A halo of mystery and distrust surrounds the word 'proposition' as it is currently used in philosophical discourse. Not only it is far from obvious what the word means, but it is not even obvious that some intelligible meaning can be attached to it. The present book is intended to put some order in this muddle. Its main purpose is to outline what the author takes to be the only sense in which the word 'proposition' can rightfully be used. A good part of the book is devoted to the examination of the arguments that seem to support the view that things such as propositions are to be «admitted» or «postulated», from the traditional ones to the more recent ones. The remaining part deals with the methaphysical issue of the existence and ontological status of propositions, and with related questions concerning truth, meaning, and propositional attitudes. «This book is an excellent piece of work. It deals with a problem that is both well defined and rich in implications for other philosophical problems. The author defends - very effectively, I believe - a clearly defined claim, without ever losing sight of the main argument while successfully dealing with a number of side issues. The book is recommended for its quality, originality, and uniqueness of focus. As far as I know, no recently published book covers the same topic». Diego Marconi. 1. Arguments of One Kind 2. Arguments of Another Kind 3. The Expressing Relation 4. Are There Propositions? 5. Relevance (and Irrelevance) of Propositions to Some Controversial Philosophical Issues