Generics as reflecting conceptual knowledge

Generics are proposed to reflect the content of the conceptual system, whose prototype structure and vague boundaries make an unreliable basis for traditional treatments of truth and logic. Examples from the psychological literature are used to illustrate the relation between generics, similarity‐based reasoning and concepts

On Mathias generic sets

We present some results about generics for computable Mathias forcing. The $n$-generics and weak $n$-generics in this setting form a strict hierarchy as in the case of Cohen forcing. We analyze the complexity of the Mathias forcing relation, and show that if $G$ is any $n$-generic with $n \geq 3$ then it satisfies the jump property $G^{(n-1)} = G' \oplus \emptyset^{(n)}$. We prove that every such $G$ has generalized high degree, and so cannot have even Cohen 1-generic degree. On the other hand, we show that $G$, together with any bi-immune set $A \leq_T \emptyset^{(n-1)}$, computes a Cohen $n$-generic set

Connected Polish groups with ample generics

In this paper, we give the first examples of connected Polish groups that have ample generics, answering a question of Kechris and Rosendal. We show that any Polish group with ample generics embeds into a connected Polish group with ample generics and that full groups of type III hyperfinite ergodic equivalence relations have ample generics. We also sketch a proof of the following result: the full group of any type III ergodic equivalence relation has topological rank 2.Comment: New version mentioning the results Malicki obtained independently and simultaneously http://arxiv.org/abs/1503.03919, which also answer Kechris and Rosendal's question in a different way. Comments welcome

The Radical Account of Bare Plural Generics

Bare plural generic sentences pervade ordinary talk. And yet it is extremely controversial what semantics to assign to such sentences. In this paper, I achieve two tasks. First, I develop a novel classification of the various standard uses to which bare plurals may be put. This “variety data” is important—it gives rise to much of the difficulty in systematically theorizing about bare plurals. Second, I develop a novel account of bare plurals, the radical account. On this account, all bare plurals fail to express propositions. The content of a bare plural has to be pragmatically “completed” by a speaker in order for her to make an assertion. At least the content of a quantifier expression has to be supplied. But sometimes, the content of a sentential operator or modal verb is also supplied. The radical account straightforwardly explains the variety data: Speakers’ communicative intentions vary wildly across different contexts

The group of homeomorphisms of the Cantor set has ample generics

We show that the group of homeomorphisms of the Cantor set $H(K)$ has ample generics, that is, for every $m$ the diagonal conjugacy action $g\cdot(h_1,h_2,..., h_m)=(gh_1g^{-1},gh_2g^{-1},..., gh_mg^{-1})$ of $H(K)$ on $H(K)^m$ has a comeager orbit. This answers a question of Kechris and Rosendal. We show that the generic tuple in $H(K)^m$ can be taken to be the limit of a certain projective Fraisse family. We also present a proof of the existence of the generic homeomorphism of the Cantor set in the context of the projective Fraisse theory.Comment: final version, to appear in Bulletin of the London Mathematical Societ