Home | The Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences

7/29 Doctoral Dissertation Oral Defense of Richard Anderson

Doctoral Dissertation Oral Defense of Richard Anderson

Monday, July 29th, 2019

03:00 PM - 05:00 PM

Storrs Campus
Manchester Hall 227

The Frege-Geach Problem for Normative Propositions

Philosophy

Contact Information: Marcus Rossberg, marcus.rossberg@uconn.edu
More
7/29 Richard Anderson PhD Dissertation Defense

Richard Anderson PhD Dissertation Defense

Monday, July 29th, 2019

03:00 PM - 05:00 PM

Storrs Campus, Storrs Campus
Man 227

Richard Anderson will be defending his PhD dissertation in the Philosophy Department.

Title:

The Frege–Geach Problem for Normative Propositions

Abstract:

The aim of this dissertation is to argue for the following claim: if Hanks' theory of propositions as act-types is correct, then there exists a plausible extension of this theory that solves the Frege–Geach problem for normative propositions—and, as a consequence, that solves the Frege–Geach problem for semantic expressivism more generally. In the dissertation I assume that Hanks' theory is correct, and in this framework develop an account of semantic expressivism that addresses three versions of the Frege–Geach problem: the embedding, inference and negation problems.

First, I examine in detail one extant attempt to support the claim, due to Hom and Schwartz. I argue that their extension is not plausible for two reasons: it does not satisfy a key expressivist constraint, and it encounters a problem with interrogatives. Then I argue that even if their extension were plausible, it would not solve the embedding problem for conditionals, for two reasons: it does not place suitable constraints on applications of force-indicators, and it encounters a problem with mixed descriptive–normative conditionals.

Second, I investigate the negation problem and use my results to argue in defense of a new extension of Hanks' theory that interprets normative predicates as having the dual semantic function of expressing both a set of admissible force-indicators and a deontic property. I argue that this extension is plausible, and then I further extend it by defining force-indicators that are generalizations of assertion and of normative endorsement (and of denial and anti-endorsement) and by defining logical connectives that apply uniformly to assertive and normative propositions. Finally, I argue that this extension provides a neutral semantic and logical framework that respects the semantic boundary between atomic descriptive and normative sentences, but that still addresses the Frege–Geach problem for normative propositions.

Contact Information: Marcus Rossberg, marcus.rossberg@uconn.edu
More
8/2 MCB Dissertation Defense: Andrea M. Suria

MCB Dissertation Defense: Andrea M. Suria

Friday, August 2nd, 2019

12:00 PM - 01:00 PM

Storrs Campus
BPB 130

Graduate Program in Microbiology
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
University of Connecticut

Announces the
Oral Dissertation Defense for the Doctoral Degree of

Andrea M. Suria
B.S. Fairleigh Dickinson University

Investigation of antimicrobial activity and metabolic genes in bacterial symbionts associated with the female reproductive system of the Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes

Friday, August 2, 2019
12:00 PM
BPB 130

Major Advisor: Spencer Nyholm
Associate Advisor: Joerg Graf
Associate Advisor: Marcy Balunas
Associate Advisor: Jonathan Klassen
Associate Advisor: Nichole Broderick
Associate Advisor: Daniel Gage

Working copy of the dissertation can be found at:
https://dropbox.uconn.edu/dropbox?n=Suria_thesis_v2.pdf&p=WJI92ibYxSpt5dXOi

Contact Information: andrea.suria@uconn.edu
More
8/2 Doctoral Dissertation Oral Defense of Nathan Kellen

Doctoral Dissertation Oral Defense of Nathan Kellen

Friday, August 2nd, 2019

04:00 PM - 06:00 PM

Storrs Campus, Storrs Campus
UCHI Seminar Room

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation: Pluralisms about Truth and Logic

Contact Information: Michael Lynch, mplynch@uconn.edu
More