Ways of Being, Restricted Quantifier and Generic Quantifier

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.

10.48308/kj.2024.233266.1194

Abstract

There is a contemporary interpretation of ontological pluralism which formulates
this thesis under the title of “recognition of ways of being”: that there are different
modes of being, and things exist in different ways. On the other hand, it is common
in analytic philosophy to take quantifiers as pointers to our ontological
commitments. So, this contemporary interpretation brings ontological pluralism
along with quantification theory and accept  the plurality of existential quantifiers,
which is better to be labeled as quantificational pluralism. In the following article,
after explaining this interpretation, it will be discussed which quantifiers we should consider as the representation of our ontological commitments, and whether multiple quantifiers have overlapping domains. It also asks that, assuming the
acceptance of multiple quantifiers, should we also accept the generic quantifier (used in the predicate logic and inspires a monistic interpretation of ontology)? To this end, four arguments for generic quantifier will be presented and, then refuted.
However, in the end, generic quantifier prefers over pluralism. 

Keywords

Main Subjects


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