Logical Studies

Is indicative conditionals non-truth functional?

Document Type : Research

Author

Masoud Alvand

Department of humanity, faculty of philosophy, university of Isfahan.

Abstract
The incompatibility between the connectives of natural language and the language of classical logic in the truth-functionality has led some to think that the language of classical logic is incapable of representing the natural language sentences and formulating the arguments of this language. This paper tries to show that the language of classical logic is not entirely incapable of that formulation, and the opposition's claim to the ability of the language of logic in representing the sentences and the arguments of the natural language is not complete. The defenses in this area are divided into two categories of direct and indirect defense. Although Grice's theory is a turning point for indirect defense, this paper deals with some of direct defense against defenders of the incompatibility of formalized arguments in the language of classical logic with natural language: first, with Strawson's arguments in opposition to the representation of natural language sentences by classical logic, we propound Clark's defense, and then we will see young's challenges against Clarke and Clarke's responses.

Keywords

propositional logic
truth-functional connectives
natural language
formal language
entailment
material implication
implicature
logical constant
[1] Strawson, P.Fredrick (1952), Introduction to Logical Theory, Norwich, Routledge.
[2] Grice, H, Paul (1988), Logic and Conversation in Studies in the Ways of Words, pp 22-40, Cambridge : Harvard University press
[3] Clark, Micheal (1971), Ifs and Hooks, Analysis, Vol. 32,  No. 2, pp. 33-39
[4] Clark, Micheal (1974), Ifs and Hooks: A Rejoinder, Analysis, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 77-83
[5] Young, John J (1972),  Ifs and Hooks: A Defence of the Orthodox View, Analysis, Vol.     33, No. 2, pp. 56-63
[6] Mitchell, David (1962), An Introduction to logic, London
[7] Rieger, Adam (2013), Conditionals are material: the positive arguments, Synthese 61-74
[8] Sainsbury, Mark (2001), Logical Forms, second edition, Blackwell
 

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