Does anybody have any advice on introductory texts in modal logic, which
concentrate on the philosophical issues (Quine’s animadversions, Lewis’s
modal realism, etc.) rather than the technical issues? I am thinking of
philosophical companions to Hughes and Cresswell…
-Phil Kremer
On 20 Apr 1998 18:31:59 GMT, Philip Kremer <kre…@mars.its.yale.edu> said:
> Does anybody have any advice on introductory texts in modal logic,
> which concentrate on the philosophical issues (Quine’s animadversions,
> Lewis’s modal realism, etc.) rather than the technical issues? I am
> thinking of philosophical companions to Hughes and Cresswell…
I think the world still awaits a thorough text of this sort, Phil. The
only thing I know of that comes close is Ken Konyndyk’s little text
_Introductory Modal Logic_ (Notre Dame, 1986). A lot of important
issues are omitted (attention is paid mostly to essentialism and
actualism) and much of the discussion is rather cursory, but it does
fine as a simple introduction to the basic issues that illustrates how
philosophical concerns motivate logical development. It would certainly
be suitable for use in an undergraduate course in the subject. I’d be
dubious about using it as anything more than a supplement to a graduate
course.
-chris
cmen…@tamu.edu
> On 20 Apr 1998 18:31:59 GMT, Philip Kremer <kre…@mars.its.yale.edu>
said:
> > Does anybody have any advice on introductory texts in modal logic,
> > which concentrate on the philosophical issues (Quine’s animadversions,
> > Lewis’s modal realism, etc.) rather than the technical issues? I am
> > thinking of philosophical companions to Hughes and Cresswell…
Stephen Read’s _Thinking about Logic: An Introduction to
the Philosophy of Logic_ is a useful text for raising the ideas
behind the mechanics to a general audience. The chapter
on modal logic can serve as an initial handout, supplemented
by readings from the primary texts.
Cordially,
M.
<< … reels sans etre actuels, ideaux sans etre abstraits … >>