Philosophy Compass· 2017Q1
The meaning of generics
- 47citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2017year
Short summary
Recent theories of generic meaning struggle to explain the variable truth conditions of generic statements, such as 'Birds can fly'.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Generic statements present a challenge due to their variable truth conditions.
- Theories of generic meaning attempt to explain why statements apply to typical members of a category.
- Key differences between theories lie in their approach to defining truth conditions.
- The article evaluates arguments for and against each proposed theory.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract This article discusses recent theories of the meaning of generics. The discussion is centred on how the theories differ in their approach to addressing the primary difficulty in providing a theory of generic meaning: The notoriously complex ways in which the truth conditions of generics seem to vary. In addition, the article summarizes considerations for and against each theory.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Philosophy Compass, 2017 · DOI ↗
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Field: Anatomy
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