Mieszko Tałasiewicz

University of Warsaw | UW · Faculty of Philosophy

The paper is a rejoinder to a challenge against the particularist version of the mental files framework (MFF) posed by the relationist approach based on the notion of content coordination [such as recent attempt by Rachel Goodman and Aidan Gray in (Noûs https://doi.org/10.1111/nous.12354 (2020)]. Relationists argue that important explanatory goals...

In this paper, we investigate the effect described in the literature as the Group Knobe Effect, which is an asymmetry in ascription of intentionality of negative and positive side-effects of an action performed by a group agent. We successfully replicate two studies originally conducted by Michael and Szigeti (Philos Explor 22:44-61, 2019), who obs...

The central theme of Strawson’s philosophy of language was the dichotomy of subject and predicate in a sentence. Stemming from a seminal distinction of referring use and ascriptive/attributive use in his early work, On Referring (1950), this dichotomy was used as explanans in arguments in semantic controversies with Russell. Later, it became a very...

The aim of this paper is to propose an alternative interpretation of the method of cases, analyze two of its particular implementations in the theory of knowledge, and argue that the method of cases, according to this interpretation, is not prone to challenges posed by its recent critics, such as Edouard Machery (2017). The core of the proposed int...

This paper presents a method of philosophical investigation rooted in the interrelations between psychological concepts and logical concepts. The proposed account describes philosophical method as a first-person introspective analysis of psychological concepts and a further synthesis of logical concepts on the grounds of the content of psychologica...

The paper deals with the problem of truth-conditions of the so called donkey sentences (existential versus universal reading). It starts with a new interpretation of results obtained by Bart Geurts in his Donkey Business. This interpretation says that the results may be explained by considering only the existential reading. Further on, new experime...

The claim of this paper is that theism and atheism as beliefs about the nature of the universe are equally distant from any sort of proper justification by reasoning, but that faith cannot be reduced to any sort of belief (although it induces beliefs). This claim is illustrated by a survey of several case-studies, including the case of moral sense...

The paper examines the notion of the sense of a predicate, as stemming from Frege, in the light of the controversy between Dummett and Geach as to whether the sense of a predicate is a way of getting to the reference of the predicate or rather a function from senses of names to senses of sentences. Several Fregean principles are discussed (Functori...

S U M M A RY : This paper initially follows the final part of the debate between singularism and descriptivism to the point of convergence, and discusses the notion of acquaintanceless singular thought (such that there is a compromise available between hitherto competing parties). Then a sketch of a mental files model is presented. Firstly, the tri...

Możliwość wolnej woli jest ściśle związana z możliwością sprawstwa, rozumianego jako inicjowanie ciągów przyczynowo-skutkowych. W moim przekonaniu możliwość ta jest nie do pogodzenia z prawdziwością twierdzenia, że kompletny opis stanu świata w dowolnej chwili t wraz z kompletnym zapisem praw przyrody pociągają każdą prawdę o świecie w każdej chwil...

The title of my talk is somewhat too narrow. The analysis of mental images (be they of pictorial or conceptual character) evoked by certain scientific or – respectively – religious considerations would serve just as an illustration – or case studies – for the purpose of discussion of something more general and deeper, namely, the relation of reason...

Abstract The aim of this paper is to present a new approach to explaining productivity of language, a feature that is crucial for constructing a credible logic of natural language and elucidating many key issues in the philosophy of language. The starting point of the proposed approach is a combination of Fregean idea of functoriality and the idea...

The paper is devoted to the problems with appropriate interpretation of logical connectives (notably conjunction and disjunction) in legal regulations. We claim that merely putting constraints on the language of law is not enough to guarantee the unambiguity of legal regulations containing the connectives in each and every case. We substantiate our...

According to a popular view science and theology are incompatible: non-overlapping magisteria, in terms of the object of their pursuit. In this paper I will argue that the relation which exists between science and theology is neither that of separation nor local explication but the complete inclusion of one within the other. From the point of view...

In the paper we discuss criticisms against David Armstrong’s general theory of truthmaking by Gonzalo Rodriguez-Pereyra, Peter Schulte and Benjamin Schnieder, and conclude that Armstrong’s theory survives these criticisms. Special attention is given to the problems concerning Entailment Principle, Conjunction Thesis, Disjunction Thesis and to the n...

The aim of the paper is to initiate a naturalistic approach to intentionality. According to the presented account intentionality in the primary sense is a property of some physical, perceptible objects such as arrows and sticks (but also gestures or glances (gaze)), relative to subjects that perceive these objects – much as colors are properties of...

Categorial grammar, developed b Ajdukiewicz, was the first formal account of the general syntax of language. It was based on profound insights of Frege and Husserl as to the nature of sense and reference of linguistic expressions. Dichotomies of operator vs. argument; basic category vs. functor category and names vs. sentences alongside with parall...

Streszczenie Artykuł poświęcony jest wyprowadzeniu rozróżnienia podmiotu i predykatu z fundamentalnych intuicji dotyczących ludzkiej aktywności językowej. Intuicje te prowadzą do sformułowania najważniejszych zasad gramatyki kategorialnej; gramatyka ta – po odpowiedniej korekcie i po oczyszczeniu z nieprzemyślanych „udogodnień” – ukazana jest jako...

Philosophical intuition may be used as a shortcut for establishing what ordinary people would say or do in certain circumstances. In such use it may be and should be replaced by proper empirical tests. This part of philosophy, in which such information is essential to arguments, should be experimental philosophy. However philosophical intuition may...

In Syntax we analyzed general intuitions underlying the theory of syntax. In Semantics we sought to lay down a basic semantic system which could match our intuitions. We shall now proceed to give some guidelines which ought to be followed in the categorial analysis of the syntax of expressions. We will look at the analysis of some difficult sentenc...

Mieszko Talasiewicz, Proper names and nominal use The editor rounds up the discussion between Tadeusz Ciecierski and Leopold Hess by pointing out that their conclusions are not as opposed as they are trying to show. On the contrary, on some interpretation one may even suggest that both views can convergently approach to some picture of the semantic...