Philosophy Dictionary of ArgumentsHome | |||
| |||
Question: a sentence within a communication context that requires one or more further sentences (see also answers). The question in many languages is characterized by a slightly altered word position, as opposed to the corresponding sentence, as well as an attached or pre-set symbol (question symbol). A response is not guaranteed and does not have to be done so that a question retains its form and content. See also statements, commands, sentences, speech act theory._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
Author | Concept | Summary/Quotes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|
A. Prior on Questions - Dictionary of Arguments
I 72ff Questions/Prior: difference: a) questions, b) the questioning c) interrogative sentence, d) the things which they are about. >Levels/order, >Description levels To assume never asked questions is quite reasonable. Problem: "For some p, no one has ever asked if p" is not the same as "There are questions that were never asked". Because there are other kinds of questions than that of the "if" variety. - It is arbitrary, to single one out a) "if p" b) " what is p ", etc. Possible solution: then variable for questions:" for some p: it was never asked p "(here no longer" what "or" "if"). - The argument is not a name but an interrogative sentence. >Names, >Names of sentences. Problem: "There are questions that were never asked" cannot be represented formally as "For some p, no one has asked if p". - Because that only covers the specific question type "if", and not for example: "which are?" or "Who has stolen my pencil?". Interrogabilia/Medieval/Prior":" the questioned"," the questionable "(platonic). >Platonism, >Medieval philosophy. PriorVs: do not need to be considered as "part of the sentence" as if there were names. >Clauses, >Objects of thought, >Objects of belief PriorVs: asking is no relation between questioning and Interrogabilia. Question/command/Prior: there are no special features, which account for a content, nothing "behind" the indicative sentences. >Content, >Thought content. I 73ff Questions/David Harrah: thesis: A question is simply an indicative statement which is the disjunction or the set of possible answers - Harrah thesis: any issue is identified by an implicit statement that it presupposes. E.g. the question whether I come or go presupposes that I either do one or the other. That would be the statement "You are coming or going." - The answer is then a statement that contains the statement which is the question, but is not included in it. - E.g. that I sit is less specific and includes the fact that I sit on a chair - (presupposition: that I sit at all). >Presuppositions, >Answers, >D. Harrah._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Pri I A. Prior Objects of thought Oxford 1971 Pri II Arthur N. Prior Papers on Time and Tense 2nd Edition Oxford 2003 |