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- catalog abstract ""In Vagueness and Contradiction Roy Sorensen traces our incredulity to linguistic norms that build upon our psychological tendencies to round off insignificant differences. These simplifying principles lead to massive inconsistency, rather like the rounding off errors of calculators with limited memory. English entitles speakers to believe each 'tolerance conditional' such as those of the form 'If n is small, then n+1 is small'. The conjunction of these a priori beliefs entails absurd conditionals such as 'If 1 is small, then a billion is small'. Since the negation of this absurdity is an a priori truth, our a priori beliefs about small numbers are jointly inconsistent. One of the tolerance conditionals, at the threshold of smallness, must be an analytic falsehood that we are compelled to regard as a tautology." "Since there are infinitely many analytic sorites arguments, Sorensen concludes that we are obliged to believe infinitely many contradictions. These contradictions are not specifically detectable. They are ineliminable, like the heat from a light bulb. Although the light bulb is not designed to produce heat, the heat is inevitably produced as a side-effect of illumination." "Vagueness can be avoided by representational systems that make no concession to limits of perception, or memory, or testimony. But quick and rugged representational systems, such as natural languages, will trade 'rationality' for speed and flexibility."--BOOK JACKET.".
- catalog contributor b12316039.
- catalog created "2001.".
- catalog date "2001".
- catalog date "2001.".
- catalog dateCopyrighted "2001.".
- catalog description ""In Vagueness and Contradiction Roy Sorensen traces our incredulity to linguistic norms that build upon our psychological tendencies to round off insignificant differences. These simplifying principles lead to massive inconsistency, rather like the rounding off errors of calculators with limited memory. English entitles speakers to believe each 'tolerance conditional' such as those of the form 'If n is small, then n+1 is small'. The conjunction of these a priori beliefs entails absurd conditionals such as 'If 1 is small, then a billion is small'. Since the negation of this absurdity is an a priori truth, our a priori beliefs about small numbers are jointly inconsistent. One of the tolerance conditionals, at the threshold of smallness, must be an analytic falsehood that we are compelled to regard as a tautology." "Since there are infinitely many analytic sorites arguments, Sorensen concludes that we are obliged to believe infinitely many contradictions. These contradictions are not specifically detectable. They are ineliminable, like the heat from a light bulb. Although the light bulb is not designed to produce heat, the heat is inevitably produced as a side-effect of illumination." "Vagueness can be avoided by representational systems that make no concession to limits of perception, or memory, or testimony. But quick and rugged representational systems, such as natural languages, will trade 'rationality' for speed and flexibility."--BOOK JACKET.".
- catalog description "1. Absolute Borderline Cases -- 2. Intellectual Embarrassment without Vagueness -- 3. Forced Analytical Error -- 4. Inconsistent Machines -- 5. Sainsbury's Spectra and Penrose's Triangle -- 6. Does Apriority Agglomerate? -- 7. Analytic Sorites and the Cheshire Cat -- 8. Believing the Impossible -- 9. Reason Demands Belief in Infinitely Many Contradictions -- 10. The Viral Theory of Inconsistency -- 11. Truthmaker Gaps.".
- catalog description "Includes bibliographical references (p. [185]-194) and index.".
- catalog extent "200 p. :".
- catalog identifier "0199241309 (alk. paper)".
- catalog issued "2001".
- catalog issued "2001.".
- catalog language "eng".
- catalog publisher "Oxford [England] : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press,".
- catalog subject "165 21".
- catalog subject "B105.V33 S67 2001".
- catalog subject "Contradiction.".
- catalog subject "Vagueness (Philosophy)".
- catalog tableOfContents "1. Absolute Borderline Cases -- 2. Intellectual Embarrassment without Vagueness -- 3. Forced Analytical Error -- 4. Inconsistent Machines -- 5. Sainsbury's Spectra and Penrose's Triangle -- 6. Does Apriority Agglomerate? -- 7. Analytic Sorites and the Cheshire Cat -- 8. Believing the Impossible -- 9. Reason Demands Belief in Infinitely Many Contradictions -- 10. The Viral Theory of Inconsistency -- 11. Truthmaker Gaps.".
- catalog title "Vagueness and contradiction / Roy Sorensen.".
- catalog type "text".