Fodorian Naturalistic Semantics and Double Disjunctivitis :: Philosophy

Fodorian realistic Semantics and Double DisjunctivitisABSTRACT Direct Informational Semantics, according to which Xs represent (express/mean) X if Xs sheath Xs is a law, and Fodorian naturalistic semantics both suffer from double disjunctivitis. I press that robustness, properly construed, characterizes both represented properties and representing symbols twain or more properties ordinarily regarded as non-disjunctive may each be nomologic on the wholey connected to a non-disjunctive symbol, and two or more non-disjunctive symbols may each be nomologically connected to a property. This kind of robustness bifurcates the so-called disjunction problem into a Represented-Disjunction occupation, of which Fodor was aware, and a Representer-Disjunction Problem, of which he was on the whole oblivious. Fodor fails to solve these problems his solution to the former, the Asymmetric dependance Condition, presupposes a successful solution to the latter, while possible responses that Fodor mi ght fuck off to the latter either beg the former or cannot be met or else flout the representational Requirement and the Atomistic Requirement. Even setting the Representer-Disjunction Problem aside, the Represented-Disjunction Problem does not get solved, because the robustness involving phonological/orthographic sequences (tokens and types) guarantees that secret code can meet the Asymmetrical Dependence Condition. Indeed there is a serious problem of individuating phonological/orthographic tokens and types in a elan that satisfies Fodors expectations. This is made manifest by the presence of orthographic tokens plant in larger tokens. I. Fodors Naturalization Proposal and the Represented-Disjunction ProblemThe circumstantial task which the naturalization project is designed to accomplish is to construct an information-based semantic theory that articulates (I) an atomistic and (II) naturalistic i.e., in non-intentional, non-semantic terms sufficient direct for a syntacti cally primitive predicate to express a property. (1) For appliance (I) will be referred to as the Atomistic Requirement and (II) as the Naturalistic Requirement. Now if Direct Informational Semantics were correct, tamarao would express the disjunctive property tamarao or thump because, under certain conditions, a thump and a tamarao are each sufficient for its tokening. Thus a tokening of a symbol would be ipso occurrenceo true. There would be no accounting for the fact that meaning is robust cow tokens get caused in all sorts of ways, and they all mean cow for all that. (2) I shall refer to this problem (3) as the Represented-Disjunction Problem, considering that it figures on the represented side. Fodor proposes to solve the Represented-Disjunction Problem without abandoning the main thrust of the information-theoretic account. His proposition (FP) is that X means X if (4)