Logical Semantics as an Empirical Science

Abstract

Despite a common interest in ‘logical structure’, often pursued with model-theoretic tools, logical semantics and philosophy of science are nowadays disparate subjects. There have been prominent philosophers whose work spans both fields: Carnap, Reichenbach, Quine and Putnam, to mention some resounding names. But even with these, combination does not necessarily mean integration. This lack of contact is somewhat surprising, as several natural bridge topics exist, such as the area of natural laws/counterfactuals/modality or modality/tense/ time. Indeed, the difference between formal semantics of natural language (sentences or texts) and that of scientific theories seems only a gradual one, in the level of ‘logical aggregation’.