Odczyt w ramach seminarium ZJR (16 VI 2023): Sara Papic, A Reply to Deutsch: Yes, There is a Qua Problem for a Purely Causal Account of Reference Grounding

Zapraszamy na kolejny (i ostatni!) w roku akademickim 2022/23 odczyt w ramach seminarium Znak-Język-Rzeczywistość.

16 VI 2023

Sara Papic
(Uniwersytet w Mediolanie)

wygłosi odczyt:

A Reply to Deutsch: Yes, There is a Qua Problem for a Purely Causal Account of Reference Grounding

Abstrakt wystąpienia: 

In a recent paper, Max Deutsch argues that there is no “qua problem” for purely causal
theories of reference, according to which the extension of an expression is grounded in causal relations to members of its extension during a dubbing act. The qua problem is the difficulty in specifying the facts in virtue of which the reference of „banana” is grounded by causal contact with something qua banana and not qua its other properties. If no such explanation can be given, reference remains unacceptably indeterminate. This has led many to abandon purely causal reference grounding.

Deutsch’s argument for the dissolution of the problem goes as follows: we usually agree
that an event can cause its effect qua some of its properties and not qua others. For example, a hot acidic solution causes a glass beaker to break due to its heat and not due to its acidity. Given this assumption, we can simply say that an event caused a dubbing act qua the causally relevant property and not qua the causally irrelevant properties, thus grounding the reference of the term; the qua problem has vanished.

I will argue that causal mechanisms, and in particular the facts about causal relevance appealed to by Deutsch, are insufficient to dissolve the qua problem. First, it is not generally the case that a unique property is causally relevant in purely physical cases of causation; but this is precisely what is required to avoid the referential indeterminacy highlighted by the qua problem. I will demonstrate that if we rely on causal relevance to dissolve the qua problem, there is no way to respect the uniqueness requirement: there are too many properties that are causally relevant to the occurrence of any single dubbing act, including the intentional states of the dubber.

Seminarium odbędzie się online (w języku angielskim), aby dołączyć do spotkania, prosimy skorzystać z poniższych informacji:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://uw-edu-pl.zoom.us/j/98775052581?pwd=NUtEaXZPQ0pwZVpvcExoSDBYYXJQQT09

Meeting ID: 987 7505 2581
Passcode: 076657

Strona seminarium:

http://pts.edu.pl/seminarium-2022-2023-seminar-2022-2023.htm

Na wskazanej stronie dostępne jest kalendarium odczytów.

Spotkanie rozpoczniemy o godzinie 16.45, odczyt zacznie się o godzinie 17.00.