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    A term is ambiguous only if no single definition can enco... — Carmelics
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    Home/Philosophy of Language
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    A term is ambiguous only if no single definition can encompass all its meanings

    Philosophy of Language
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.If a single definition covers all uses of a term, the term is not ambiguous
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    • 2.'Uncle' has a single definition (x is the brother of y and y has a child) that covers all its uses
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    • 3.A superficial 'definition' that merely lists meanings (e.g., 'financial institution or river side') does not count as a genuine unifying definition
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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Wittgenstein's family resemblance theory shows that terms like 'game' unify meanings without a single definitional essence.
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    • 2.A term can be genuinely ambiguous between uses that share overlapping but non-identical features, with no single definition possible.
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    • 3.If family resemblance terms resist single definitions yet are not ambiguous, the claim's criterion conflates vagueness with ambiguity.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Pustejovsky's Generative Lexicon shows 'book' systematically means both physical object and informational content via co-predication.
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    • 2.A single generative rule can produce multiple distinct, non-reducible meanings, satisfying the claim's criterion while preserving genuine ambiguity.
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    • 3.The claim incorrectly treats the existence of a generative unifying rule as equivalent to a single definition covering all meanings.
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    Topics

    Philosophy of Language

    Related

    'Uncle' has a single definition (x is the brother of y and y has a child) that c...A single generative rule can produce multiple distinct, non-reducible meanings, ...A superficial 'definition' that merely lists meanings (e.g., 'financial institut...A term can be genuinely ambiguous between uses that share overlapping but non-id...
    +5 moreShow less
    If a single definition covers all uses of a term, the term is not ambiguousIf family resemblance terms resist single definitions yet are not ambiguous, the...Pustejovsky's Generative Lexicon shows 'book' systematically means both physical...The claim incorrectly treats the existence of a generative unifying rule as equi...Wittgenstein's family resemblance theory shows that terms like 'game' unify mean...

    Similar

    If a single definition covers all uses of a term, the term is not ambi...88%Lexical ambiguity involves accidental homophony between two separate a...83%A single term covering genuinely distinct kinds produces ambiguity83%Some names must therefore denote more than one thing, creating ambiguo...82%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: ambiguity
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    Aristotle offers a test for ambiguity: try to construct a definition that encompasses both meanings and posit an ambiguity only if you fail. The notion of definition here has to be taken as a heavy-weight notion: ‘bank’ is ambiguous even though you can ‘define’ it as ‘financial institution or river side’. However, we can get a reasonable grip on what Aristotle had in mind. ‘Uncle’ is not ambiguous because it has a single definition that covers both: x is an uncle iff x is the brother of y and y
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit