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Inverse View
It is not the case that The propositional variables 'p' and 'q' have sentential status and can legitimately fill argument-slots of truth-functions
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Reasons For
2 perspectives
Reason for 1 of 2
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1.
Propositional variables in truth-functional contexts are schematic placeholders, not genuine singular terms denoting truth-bearers.
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2.
Frege's distinction between concept-script variables and object-denoting names shows that sentential position does not confer propositional content on a variable.
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3.
A variable that 'contains a verb' in its substitution instances does not itself possess verbal or sentential status any more than 'x' becomes a number by ranging over numbers.
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Reason for 2 of 2
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1.
Quine argued in 'Philosophy of Logic' that quantifying into sentential position requires propositional entities as values, but no such entities can be individuated without paradox.
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2.
If 'p' and 'q' have genuine sentential status sufficient to fill argument-slots, substitutional quantification must be available, yet substitutional quantification collapses truth-functional logic into mere syntactic manipulation without genuine semantic content.
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Reasons Against
1 perspective
Reason against
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1.
The variables 'p' and 'q' stand for items that already contain a verb
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2.
The variables 'p' and 'q' express a truth-bearer
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