Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Attributive adjectives and the predicate calculus

  • Published:
Philosophical Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Conclusion

I have attempted to show that many attributive adjectives can be dealt with within the framework of first-order predicate calculus by the method suggested in this paper. I've also supplied independent reasons for the claim that attributive adjectives that are not responsive to this method require a formal treatment different from the one that the adjectives successfully dealt with by that method require. Thus, if the method I've argued for is sound, then the scope of first-order predicate calculus was shown to be wider than assumed by several logicians. This I take to be of interest from a logical point of view.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aqvist, L. (1981) “Predicate Calculi with Adjectives and Nouns”, Journal of Philosophical Logic 10, 1–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geach, P. T. (1956) “Good and Evil”, Analysis 17, 33–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guttenplan, S. (1986) The Languages of Logic, Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kitcher, P. (1976) “Fictionalizers”, Philosophical Studies 30, 19–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kitcher, P. (1978) “The Logic of Attributive Adjectives”, Journal of Philosophical Logic 7, 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lahav, R. (1989) “Against Compositionality: The Case of Adjectives”, Philosophical Studies 57, 261–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newton-Smith, W. H. (1985) Logic. An Introductory Course, London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Platts, M. (1979) Ways of Meaning, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sainsbury, M. (1991) Logical Forms. An Introduction to Philosophical Logic, Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strawson, P. F. (1992) Analysis and Metaphysics. An Introduction to Philosophy, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallace, J. (1972) “Positive, Comparative, Superlative”, Journal of Philosophy 69, 773–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, S. (1972) “Attributives and their Modifiers”, Nous 6, 310–34.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Philosophy Department, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Hanoch Ben-Yami

Authors
  1. Hanoch Ben-Yami
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ben-Yami, H. Attributive adjectives and the predicate calculus. Philosophical Studies 83, 277–289 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00364609

Download citation

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00364609

Keywords

Search

Navigation