PHIL315 Chapter Notes - Chapter Hanley: Law Of Excluded Middle, Peter Van Inwagen

• School: University of Delaware
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL315
• Professor: Richard Hanley

Document Summary

If (cid:455)ou sa(cid:455) (cid:858)e(cid:448)er(cid:455)thi(cid:374)g(cid:859), this just sa(cid:455)s there is (cid:449)hat there is. The pro(cid:271)le(cid:373): if (cid:455)ou tr(cid:455) to ad(cid:373)it there are so(cid:373)e thi(cid:374)gs that (cid:455)ou do(cid:374)(cid:859)t believe there is, then you are admitting there are such things that contradict your rejection of them. In any ontological dispute, the proponent of the negative side (there are thi(cid:374)gs the(cid:455) do(cid:374)(cid:859)t re(cid:272)og(cid:374)ize(cid:895), suffers the disad(cid:448)a(cid:374)tage of (cid:374)ot (cid:271)ei(cid:374)g a(cid:271)le to admit that his opponent disagrees with him. Pegasus: if were not, we should not be talking about anything when we use the word; therefore it would be nonsense to say even that pegasus is not. Thinking to show thus that the denial of pegasus cannot be coherently maintained, he concludes that pegasus is. Pegasus (cid:373)ust (cid:271)e a(cid:374) idea i(cid:374) (cid:373)e(cid:374)(cid:859)s (cid:373)i(cid:374)d: but, this mental entity is not what people are talking about when they deny pegasus.