Author Description
The Riddle of Vagueness brings together Crispin Wright's most influential essays on the topic of vagueness, written over a period of forty-five years. The volume includes his seminal work on the Sorites paradox, his critique of the epistemic conception of vagueness, and his exploration of the intuitionistic approach to the problem. These essays trace the development of Wright's own thinking on the subject and provide a comprehensive overview of the main debates in the field.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This collection investigates the logical and semantic challenges posed by vague predicates and the persistent paradoxes associated with borderline cases. Crispin Wright, a prominent philosopher of language and logic, compiles four decades of his research to examine the nature of vagueness. The essays evaluate various theoretical frameworks, including epistemicism, intuitionism, and degree-theoretic approaches, to determine how language functions when boundaries are not clearly defined.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of the Sorites paradox and its implications for logical systems
- Critical evaluations of the work of Timothy Williamson and Roy Sorensen
- Exploration of higher-order vagueness and the coherence of sharp cut-offs
- Examination of the relationship between language mastery and observationality
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide a general introduction to philosophy for laypeople
- It does not cover non-linguistic forms of vagueness found in physical sciences or quantum mechanics
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts recognize this volume as a significant compilation of foundational work in the analytic philosophy of language. Readers frequently note the high level of technical density and the rigorous logical argumentation required to engage with the prose.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1900-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press Usa - Oso Oxford University Press,
ISBN-10:
019166295X
ISBN-13:
9780191662959
Philosophy
Logic
Metaphysics
Epistemology
Philosophy of
Vagueness Philosophy