Otávio Bueno Department Talk: "Dispensing with the Grounds of Logical Necessity"

Save the date! Professor Otávio Bueno will visit the department in one week!

Prof. Bueno will give a department talk on Wednesday, March 12 from 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. in Humanities 391. Tea and cookies will be served.

Dispensing with the Grounds of Logical Necessity

Abstract: Logical laws are typically conceived as being necessary. But in virtue of what is this the case? That is, what are the grounds of logical necessity? In this paper, I examine four different answers to this question in terms of: truth-conditions, invariance of truth-values under different interpretations, possible worlds, and brute facts. I ultimately find all of them wanting. I conclude that an alternative conception of logic that dispenses altogether with grounds of logical necessity provides a less troublesome alternative. I then indicate some of the central features of this conception.

Otávio Bueno has graduated and holds a masters from USP's Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences (FFLCH), and a PhD from the University of Leeds. He is a professor and head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Miami. His research focuses on the areas of philosophy of science, philosophy of logic, philosophy of mathematics and most recently aesthetics. He is one of the editors of the journal of epistemology and philosophy of science "Synthese".

The Department of Philosophy extends thanks to donors Elaine Plaisance and Kenny and May Chin for their generosity in providing funding so that we may present this talk and others as part of the ongoing Chin-Plaisance Colloquia Series.