Questions tagged [definitions]
The definitions tag has no usage guidance.
202
questions
-4
votes
2
answers
125
views
Is equality necessarily transitive? [duplicate]
I want to introduce three definitions into the philosophy of logic for the purpose of improving first order logic.
Consider the following three definitions.
Definitions
C is an arbitrary constant iff ∀...
2
votes
1
answer
53
views
How to handle definitions in professional philosophic/scientific contexts?
So I had multiple instances, where a word in a paper or similar had to be defined.
In the past, I employed or was thinking of employing various techniques to go about defining a certain word e.g.:
I ...
1
vote
1
answer
57
views
Reference request for the definition of machines [closed]
I once asked in the Physics Stack Exchange what the definition of a machine is. I did not really get a good response. Now, I am trying the philosophy stack exchange, as philosophy deals with coming up ...
6
votes
3
answers
263
views
What is an argument (in philosophy)?
Closely related (sub)question: is there some way to tell a piece of (spoken, or writen, or...) text that is an argument from one that isn't? If 'yes', how?
[Notice the question is not asking "...
2
votes
1
answer
96
views
Can we define a logical constant to be a symbol that has the same meaning in all minds? [closed]
I just looked up the definition of "logical constant" in Wikipedia, and I came across the following definition:
A logical constant is a symbol in symbolic logic that has the same meaning in ...
1
vote
1
answer
132
views
What do we mean by 'obligation'?
I've been thinking about what we mean by obligation, and I've come up with the following:
What is an obligation?
It is clear that obligation cannot be anything to do with being coerced by someone ...
2
votes
4
answers
544
views
What is the state-of-the-art of formal definitions of God?
Isn't the only formal analytic definition of God, that of Cantor's Absolute Infinity?
What is the state-of-the-art of this approach?
Are there other definitions?
5
votes
4
answers
471
views
What characteristics define something as a mathematical entity?
It is easy to give examples of mathematical entities: Natural numbers, geometrical figures, sets, functions of variables ranging over numerical sets, etc. The list seems endless. Yet, listing those ...
2
votes
2
answers
73
views
Something that is defined to be what it is is not part of the natural world. True?
Numbers are defined as they are: 10 digits, a positional system, and all the arithmetic rules are defined to be what they are.
Even in all of math, many things are just defined to be what they are, ...
1
vote
0
answers
43
views
What does Kant mean by "objects" in BXVI-BXIX of his Critique of Pure Reason?
In the discussion leading up to BXVI Kant consideres the application of reason to empirical cognition as in physical experiments, or to theoretical cognition as in mathematics. In these cases the ...
4
votes
3
answers
419
views
Reference request for the definition of logic
I am looking for philosophical texts on the question of what the definition of logic is or should be. I am pretty sure many logicians and philosophers have written about that philosophical topic. I ...
0
votes
0
answers
35
views
Is there a term for when one claims that something can't be true of the collective because it is not true of every individual within the collective?
Basically as the title says, I'm wondering if there is a term for when someone says that because there are some exceptions to the norm, that the norm cannot be considered as part or all of what ...
0
votes
2
answers
127
views
Shortcomings in the following definition of "rationality"?
I'm going to try to engage with the following Encyclopedia Britannica article on "rationality".
Rationality, the use of knowledge to attain goals.
I have a bigger personal project to ...
-2
votes
3
answers
160
views
Is it philosophically difficult to adequately define “formal logic”? [closed]
If so, why? If not, what do you consider a complete definition of “formal logic”?
1
vote
1
answer
50
views
What is respect? [closed]
“Respect”, “respectful”, and “disrespectful” are concepts we regularly hear being used, yet it has not always been clear to me if there is any essential underlying characteristic conveyed by these ...