Humility and constraints on O-language

Leuenberger, S. (2010) Humility and constraints on O-language. Philosophical Studies, 149(3), pp. 327-354. (doi: 10.1007/s11098-009-9352-3)

Abstract

In "Ramseyan Humility," David Lewis argues that we cannot know what the fundamental properties in our world are. His arguments invoke the possibility of permutations and replacements of fundamental properties. Most responses focus on Lewis’s view on the relationship between properties and roles, and on the assumptions about knowledge that he makes. I argue that no matter how the debates about knowledge and about the metaphysics of properties turn out, Lewis’s arguments are unconvincing since they rely on a highly implausible assumption about the expressive power of our language.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Leuenberger, Professor Stephan
• Authors: Leuenberger, S.
• Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
• College/School: College of Arts > School of Humanities > Philosophy
• Journal Name: Philosophical Studies
• ISSN: 0031-8116
• ISSN (Online): 1573-0883
• Published Online: 18 March 2009
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2009, Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
• First Published: First published in Philosophical studies 149(3):327-354
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com