Bisimilarity is a relation defined relative to a fixed modal signature; varying the signature across levels makes cross-level non-bisimilarity trivially true but philosophically uninformative.

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Reasons For

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Reason for

1.Bisimilarity's formal definition requires fixed signature; signature variance makes comparisons equivocate on what 'similarity' means.
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2.Cross-level non-bisimilarity via signature-shifting doesn't reveal structural differences; it merely reflects notational choices.
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3.Philosophically substantive claims should survive signature variation; trivial results block theoretical insight about actual level distinctions.
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Reasons Against

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Reason against

1.Signature differences between levels may reflect genuine ontological gaps; dismissing these as 'uninformative' begs the question about levels.
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2.Non-bisimilarity under signature variance can reveal which properties are level-specific rather than level-neutral—philosophically crucial information.
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3.Requiring fixed signatures artificially constrains modal logic; real hierarchies may require signature flexibility to express level-appropriate modalities.
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Key Terms

Bisimilarity(the property maps must respect): A relation between two logical systems or structures that captures whether they behave identically from every logical perspective, even if they're structured differently.
Cross-level(as describing the relationship between properties at different levels): Connecting or comparing things at different levels of organization—for example, relating mental events (thoughts, feelings) to physical events (brain activity).
Modal signature(as used in modal logic): The set of logical tools or rules you're allowed to use when comparing things—like deciding whether you can only ask 'what is true?' or also 'what could be true?'
Non-bisimilarity(as used in logic and computer science): The state of two things being noticeably different in behavior or response—the opposite of bisimilarity.
modal(in logic and metaphysics): Dealing with possibility and necessity—questions about what could be true, what must be true, and what's merely contingent (could go either way).
philosophically uninformative(as used to criticize a way of defining a term): A definition or label that doesn't really help explain what something actually means or how it works in philosophy.
relation(Aristotelian category theory): An Aristotelian category whose existence requires two possibilities, one for each subject standing in contrast, as opposed to the other nine categories which require only one possibility in one subject.
trivially true(Elster's characterization of methodological individualism; the author notes the ambiguity matters because Elster derives substantive doctrines from the commitment): Used by Elster in the vernacular sense of 'platitudinous' rather than the philosophical sense of 'tautologous'

Connections

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Truth & Knowledge1 linked Modality & Possibility1 linked

Details

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