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    Carmelics

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    Home/Original/inverse
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    Inverse View

    It is not the case that Montague's program requires sentences to denote truth conditions via possible-worlds semantics, not merely syntactic tree representations.

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    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
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    • 1.Possible-worlds semantics assumes abstract entities whose existence and nature remain philosophically controversial.
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    • 2.Syntactic structure constrains meaning; Montague cannot explain why 'Colorless green ideas' is semantically anomalous.
      ?

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    • 3.Truth conditions depend on context and speaker intentions, not merely formal models detached from use.
      ?

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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.Syntax alone cannot distinguish 'All bachelors are unmarried' from 'All unicorns are blue'—only semantics can.
      ?

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    • 2.Possible-worlds semantics captures how sentences express necessity and contingency, which pure syntax ignores.
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    • 3.Truth conditions determine when speakers succeed in communication; syntax is merely the vehicle for expressing them.
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