Team semantics for interventionist counterfactuals and causal dependence

We introduce a generalization of team semantics which provides a framework for manipulationist theories of causation based on structural equation models, such as Woodward's and Pearl's; our causal teams incorporate (partial or total) information about functional dependencies that are invariant under interventions. We give a unified treatment of observational and causal aspects of causal models by isolating two operators on causal teams which correspond, respectively, to conditioning and to interventionist counterfactual implication. The evaluation of counterfactuals may involve the production of partially determined teams. We suggest a way of dealing with such cases by 1) the introduction of formal entries in causal teams, and 2) the introduction of weaker truth values (falsifiability and admissibility), for which we suggest some plausible semantical clauses. We introduce formal languages for both deterministic and probabilistic causal discourse, and study in some detail their inferential aspects. Finally, we apply our framework to the analysis of direct and total causation, and other notions of dependence and invariance.Non peer reviewe

Dependencies Between Quantifiers Vs. Dependencies Between Variables

Peer reviewe

Gödelian sentences and semantic arguments

Publisher Copyright: © Sandu G.This paper contains some philosophical reflections on Gödelian (undecidable) sentences and the recognition of their truth using semantic arguments. These reflections are not new, similar matters have been extensively addressed in the philosophical literature. The matter is rather one of emphasis.Peer reviewe

Read on the liar

En este artículo se analiza la solución de Read al mentiroso y se señalan algunos de sus problemas con relación  a otras soluciones en la literatura.In this paper I analyze Read’s solution to the Liar and point out some of its problems relating it to other  solutions in the literature

Games and Logic

The idea behind these games is to obtain an alternative characterization of logical notions cherished by logicians such as truth in a model, or provability (in a formal system). We offer a quick survey of Hintikka\u27s evaluation games, which offer an alternative notion of truth in a model for first-order langauges. These are win-lose, extensive games of perfect information. We then consider a variation of these games, IF games, which are win-lose extensive games of imperfect information. Both games presuppose that the meaning of the basic vocabulary of the language is given. To give an account of the linguistic conventions which settle the meaning of the basic vocabulary, we consider signaling games, inspired by Lewis\u27 work. We close with IF probabilistic games, a strategic variant of IF games which combines semantical games with von Neumann\u27s minimax theorem

Indefinites, Skolem functions and arbitrary objects

Peer reviewe

EINFÜHLUNG – INTERPRETATION – EINVERSTEHENDE APPERZEPTION. VERSUCH EINER KRITISCHEN ERKLÄRUNG DER ERSTEN AUSARBEITUNG EINER FREMDWAHRNEHMUNGSTHEORIE EDMUND HUSSERLS

Empathy – Interpretation – (Interpreting) Apperception. Attempts to Explain Husserl’s First Steps Towards a Theory of Intersubjectivity. The aim of this paper is to investigate Husserl’s first steps towards a theory of intersubjectivity and his early attempts to solve the intricate questions pertaining to the constitution of alter ego. The starting point of this investigation is Husserl’s critical examination of the concept of empathy theorized by Th. Lipps and his contention that empathy cannot be a passive and rather quasi-instinctive activity of the ego, but must be grounded in a kind of analogy between my own body and that of the other. This first attempt to explain in phenomenological terms how an ego can be aware of and perceive other thigs as egos is marred by difficulties that force Husserl to constantly rethink the question of the constitution of the alter ego and propose new ways of conceiving the special kind of apperception that opens up the possibility of perceiving the others as alter egos

Modeling Monty Hall in IF logic

We provide a game-theoretical solution to the Monty Hall problem, and its representation in IF-logic, a system of logic which is an extension of first-order logic with Independent Quantifiers. This solution has been originally proposed by Allen Mann, but here we focus more on the game-theoretical aspects and the philosophical significance.Peer reviewe

Interventionist counterfactuals on causal teams

arXiv:1901.00073We introduce an extension of team semantics which provides a framework for the logic of manipulationist theories of causation based on structural equation models, such as Woodward's and Pearl's; our causal teams incorporate (partial or total) information about functional dependencies that are invariant under interventions. We give a unified treatment of observational and causal aspects of causal models by isolating two operators on causal teams which correspond, respectively, to conditioning and to interventionist counterfactual implication. We then introduce formal languages for deterministic and probabilistic causal discourse, and show how various notions of cause (e.g. direct and total causes) may be defined in them. Through the tuning of various constraints on structural equations (recursivity, existence and uniqueness of solutions, full or partial definition of the functions), our framework can capture different causal models. We give an overview of the inferential aspects of the recursive, fully defined case; and we dedicate some attention to the recursive, partially defined case, which involves a shift of attention towards nonclassical truth values.Peer reviewe

Games and Logic

The idea behind these games is to obtain an alternative characterization of logical notions cherished by logicians such as truth in a model, or provability (in a formal system). We offer a quick survey of Hintikka's evaluation games, which offer an alternative notion of truth in a model for first-order langauges. These are win-lose, extensive games of perfect information. We then consider a variation of these games, IF games, which are win-lose extensive games of imperfect information. Both games presuppose that the meaning of the basic vocabulary of the language is given. To give an account of the linguistic conventions which settle the meaning of the basic vocabulary, we consider signaling games, inspired by Lewis' work. We close with IF probabilistic games, a strategic variant of IF games which combines semantical games with von Neumann's minimax theorem