John Mairâs Logical Grammar of Modality

Guido Alt; Henrik Lagerlund

Jump to Content

ChapterÂ 6 John Mairâs Logical Grammar of Modality

In: Mind and Obligation in the Long Middle Ages

Authors:

Guido Alt

Guido Alt
Search for other papers by Guido Alt in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

and

Henrik Lagerlund

Henrik Lagerlund
Search for other papers by Henrik Lagerlund in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 106â125

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004713260_007

Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

â¬42.00â¬35.00Â excl. VAT

Add to Cart

Redeem Access Token

Abstract

In his logical treatises, John Mair develops a method and a set of rules for the verification of modal propositions, which is in the spirit of his predecessors Ockham and Buridan, but ultimately goes beyond them. He calls this method positio de inesse. It is also by this method that the truth conditions for divided modal propositions are set out. There is a standard interpretation of it as a form of reductionist method, and scholars have been tempted to think that it was motivated by an implicit rejection of de re modal properties shared by Mair and other sixteenth-century nominalists. After presenting the background to Mairâs writings on the semantics of modal propositions, in this paper we revisit Mairâs version of the method of positio de inesse. We argue that it is based on some basic semantic rules and contend that this procedure analyzes divided modal propositions into singular de re sentences referring to possible objects. Consequently, we conclude that this method does not reflect a reductionist approach to modal discourse. We instead provide an alternative interpretation.

Citation Info

Save
Cite
Email this content

Share link with colleague or librarian

You can email a link to this page to a colleague or librarian:
Email this content
or copy the link directly:

https://brill.edhh.ma/abstract/book/9789004713260/BP000006.xml
The link was not copied. Your current browser may not support copying via this button.

Link copied successfully

Collapse
Expand

Mind and Obligation in the Long Middle Ages

Studies in the History of Philosophy in Honour of Mikko YrjÃ¶nsuuri

Series:Â Investigating Medieval Philosophy, Volume: 23

Cover Mind and Obligation in the Long Middle Ages

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004713260

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 25 Oct 2024

Subjects
- History
  - Medieval History
- Philosophy

Front Matter

PartÂ 1 Logic, Language, and Thought

PartÂ 2 The Logic of Obligations

PartÂ 3 Cognitive Psychology

PartÂ 4 Moral Psychology

Back Matter

ProCite

RefWorks

Reference Manager

BibTeX

Zotero

EndNote

Metrics

	All Time	Past 365 days	Past 30 Days
Abstract Views	438	126	10
Full Text Views	8	2	0
PDF Views & Downloads	4	2	0

African Studies	Education	Media Studies
American Studies	History	Middle East and Islamic Studies
Ancient Near East and Egypt	Human Rights and Humanitarian Law	Musicology
Art History	International Law	Philosophy
Asian Studies	International Relations	Religious Studies
Biblical Studies	Jewish Studies	Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Biology	Languages and Linguistics	Social Sciences
Book History and Cartography	Life Sciences	Theology and World Christianity
Classical Studies	Literature and Cultural Studies

Subjects

Authors

Open Access

Product Information

Company

Contact

ChapterÂ 6 John Mairâs Logical Grammar of Modality

Abstract

Citation Info

Share link with colleague or librarian

Mind and Obligation in the Long Middle Ages

Studies in the History of Philosophy in Honour of Mikko YrjÃ¶nsuuri

Table of Contents

References

Metrics

Metrics

ChapterÂ 6 John Mairâs Logical Grammar of Modality