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    Quine's thesis of the indeterminacy of translation entail... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→Detecting ambiguity is essential to logical representation of natural language arguments

    Quine's thesis of the indeterminacy of translation entails that no unique logical representation of a natural language sentence is ever fully determinate.

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    Reasons For

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    • 1.Translation underdetermination shows multiple logically distinct formulas can preserve all behavioral/observational equivalences in translation.
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    • 2.If translation is indeterminate, the source language itself lacks determinate logical structure independent of translation schemes.
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    • 3.Natural language semantics depend partly on holistic theory-choice, not isolated sentence meanings, undermining unique logical representation.
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    Reasons Against

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    • 1.Indeterminacy of *translation* between languages doesn't entail indeterminacy within a single language's internal logical structure.
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    • 2.Multiple logically equivalent formulations can represent the same truth-conditions; equivalence doesn't mean representation is indeterminate.
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    • 3.Speakers demonstrably have determinate competence with logical operators; this constrains representation even if some underdetermination exists.
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    Related

    Detecting ambiguity is essential to logical representation of natural language a...If translation is indeterminate, the source language itself lacks determinate lo...Indeterminacy of *translation* between languages doesn't entail indeterminacy wi...Multiple logically equivalent formulations can represent the same truth-conditio...
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    Natural language semantics depend partly on holistic theory-choice, not isolated...Speakers demonstrably have determinate competence with logical operators; this c...Translation underdetermination shows multiple logically distinct formulas can pr...

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