Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences: Two Worlds, Two Languages, Two Semantics, Two Linguistic Principles of Compositionality, and Two Kinds of Nonsenses (Criticizing Wittgenstein’s philosophy of morals and of metaphysics by means of discrete mathematical modeling a formal-ethical aspect of his worldview)

Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences / Two Worlds, Two Languages, Two Semantics, Two Linguistic Principles of Compositionality, and Two Kinds of Nonsenses (Criticizing Wittgenstein’s philosophy of morals and of metaphysics by means of discrete mathematical modeling a formal-ethical aspect of his worldview)

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Issue: Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2015 8 (5)
Authors: Lobovikov, Vladimir O.
Contact information: Lobovikov, Vladimir O.:Institute of Philosophy and Law 16 Sofi Kovalevskaya Str., Ekaterinburg, 620990, Russia; E-mail:
Keywords: world; language; formal; logic; ethics; algebra-of-formal-ethics; semantics; linguisticprinciple- of-compositionality; moral-evaluation-function; axiological; meaning; nonsense
Abstract: The paper represents a systematical critique of Wittgenstein’s attitude to semantics of the natural language of ethics and metaphysics. The critique is implemented by means of a discrete mathematical simulation of the famous principle of separation of facts and values. For precise mathematical formulating this separation principle a two-valued algebra of formal ethics is exploited. Being equipped with the fact-&-value-separation principle the author submits systematical separating two worlds, two opposite aspects of natural languages, two formal semantics, two kinds of meanings, two different principles of linguistic compositionality of meanings, and two kinds of nonsenses. The twin worlds, twin aspects of natural languages, twin formal semantics, twin kinds of meanings and twin kinds of nonsenses are inter-excluding and inter-complementing ones. The first elements of the twins are related to the world of “Tractatus”. The second elements of the twins are related to the world of pure values which world is transcendent to the one of “Tractatus”. The paper is targeted at explicating and precise tabular defining formal-axiological meanings of words and compound word-combinations of the natural language of morals and metaphysics. The author proclaims that according to the submitted (novel) formal-axiological principle of linguistic compositionality (of meanings), formal-axiological meaning of a compound word-combination (of the natural language of morals and metaphysics) is a composition of such moral-evaluation-functions which are formalaxiological meanings of the parts of the compound word-combination. The idea of computing formal-axiological meanings of compound word-combinations (of the language of morals and metaphysics) is exemplified by the submitted discourse about proper knowledge, alethic faith, and alethic tolerance. In the algebraic system of formal ethics a precise definition of the formal-ethicalequivalence relation among moral-evaluation-functions is given and formal-ethical equations are generated by means of computing relevant moral-evaluation-tables. Equations linking moralevaluation- functions “knowledge”, “assumption”, “ faith”, “doubt” are used as representative examples
Pages: 901-911
Paper at repository of SibFU: https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/16820

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