Skip to main content
Log in

Sentence, proposition and identity

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Synthese Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the distinction between sentence and proposition from the perspective of identity. After criticizing Quine, we discuss how objects of logical languages are constructed, explaining what is Kleene’s congruence—used by Bourbaki with his square—and Paul Halmos’s view about the difference between formulas and objects of the factor structure, the corresponding boolean algebra, in case of classical logic. Finally we present Patrick Suppes’s congruence approach to the notion of proposition, according to which a whole hierarchy of congruences leads to different kinds of objects.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barwise J., Hammer E. (1994). Diagrams and the concept of logical system. In: Gabbay D. (eds). What is a logical system?. Clarendon, Oxford, pp. 73–106

    Google Scholar 

  • Béziau J.-Y. (1997). Logic may be simple—logic, congruence and algebra. Logic and Logical Philosophy 5, 129–147

    Google Scholar 

  • Béziau, J.-Y. (1998). Do sentences have identity? In The Paideia project—Proceedings of the XXth world congress of philosophy, http://www.bu.edu/wcp/MainLogi.htm.

  • Béziau, J.-Y. (1999). The mathematical structure of logical syntax. In Advances in contemporary logic and computer science (pp. 3–15). Providence: American Mathematical Society.

  • Béziau, J.-Y. (2001). What is the principle of identity? In H. A. Faitosa, & F. Sautter (Eds.), Lógica–teoria, aplicações e reflexes (pp. 163–172). Campinas: Cle-Unicamp.

  • Carnap R. (1932). Überwindung der Metaphysik durch logische Analyse der Sprache. Erkenntnis 2, 219–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corcoran J. (1983). Introduction. In: Tarski A. (eds). Logic, semantics, metamathematics. 2nd edn. Hackett, Indianapolis

    Google Scholar 

  • Curry H.B. (1963). Foundations of mathematical logic. McGraw-Hill, New-York

    Google Scholar 

  • Halmos P. (1956). The basic concepts of algebraic logic. American Mathematical Monthly 53, 363–387

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kleene, S. C. (1952). Introduction to metamathematics. Amsterdam: North-Holland.

  • Queneau R. (1950). Quelques remarques sommaires relatives aux propriétés aérodynamiques de l’addition. In Contes et propos. Paris: Gallimard.

  • Quine, W. V. O. (1934). Ontological remarks on the propositional calculus. Mind, reprinted in W. V. O. Quine (Ed.), The ways of paradox (pp. 57–63). Random House.

  • Quine W.V.O. (1979). Philosophy of logic, 2nd edn. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1986.

  • Suppes, P. (1973). Congruence of meaning. In Proceedings and Adresses of the American Philosophical Association, 46, 21–38, reprinted in (Suppes, 1991), pp. 3–18.

  • Suppes, P. (1984). A puzzle about responses and congruence of meaning. Synthese, 58, 39–50, reprinted in (Suppes, 1991), pp. 19–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suppes, P. (1986a). Congruency theory of propositions. In Mérites et limites des méthodes logiques en philosophie (pp. 279–299). Paris: Vrin, reprinted in (Suppes, 1991). The original version includes ten additional pages of discussion, which are not reprinted in (Suppes, 1991), the references of pages is to the original version pp. 31–45.

  • Suppes, P. (1986b). The primacy of utterer’s meaning. In R. E. Gandy, & R. Warner (Eds.), Philosophical grounds of rationality: Intentions, categories, ends (pp. 109–129). Oxford: Clarendon, reprinted in (Suppes, 1991), pp. 47–66.

  • Suppes P. (1991). Language for humans and robots. Blackwell, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Tarski A. (1935). Grundzüge des Systemenkalküls. Erster Teil. Fundamentae Mathematicae 25, 503–526

    Google Scholar 

  • Tarski A. (1936). Drei Briefe an Otto Neurath. Grazer Philosophische Studien 43, 1–32, (1992).

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1921). Tractacus logico-philosophicus, translated by D. F. Pears, & B. F. McGuinness, 2nd edn. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, (1971).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jean-Yves Béziau.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Béziau, JY. Sentence, proposition and identity. Synthese 154, 371–382 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-006-9124-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-006-9124-y

Keywords

Navigation