Susan Stebbing, Incomplete Symbols, and Foundherentist Meta-Ontology Volume 5, Number 2 Frederique Janssen-Lauret Editor in Chief Kevin C
JOURNAL FOR THE HISTORY OF ANALYTICAL PHILOSOPHY SUSAN STEBBING, INCOMPLETE SYMBOLS, AND FOUNDHERENTIST METa-ONTOLOGY VOLUME 5, NUMBER 2 FREDERIQUE JANSSEN-LAURET EDITOR IN CHIEF KEVIN C. KLEMENt, UnIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS Susan Stebbing’s work on incomplete symbols and analysis EDITORIAL BOARD was instrumental in clarifying, sharpening, and improving the ANNALISA COLIVA, UnIVERSITY OF MODENA AND UC IRVINE project of logical constructions which was pivotal to early ana- GaRY EBBS, INDIANA UnIVERSITY BLOOMINGTON lytic philosophy. She dispelled use-mention confusions by re- GrEG FROSt-ARNOLD, HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES stricting the term ‘incomplete symbol’ to expressions eliminable HENRY JACKMAN, YORK UnIVERSITY through analysis, rather than those expressions’ purported ref- SANDRA LaPOINte, MCMASTER UnIVERSITY erents, and distinguished linguistic analysis from analysis of CONSUELO PRETI, THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY facts. In this paper I explore Stebbing’s role in analytic philos- MARCUS ROSSBERG, UnIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT ophy’s development from anti-holism, presupposing that anal- ANTHONY SKELTON, WESTERN UnIVERSITY ysis terminates in simples, to the more holist or foundherentist MARK TEXTOR, KING’S COLLEGE LonDON analytic philosophy of the later 20th century. I read Stebbing AUDREY YAP, UnIVERSITY OF VICTORIA as a transitional figure who made room for more holist analytic RICHARD ZACH, UnIVERSITY OF CALGARY movements, e.g., applications of incomplete symbol theory to Quinean ontological commitment. Stebbing, I argue, is part of REVIEW EDITORS a historical narrative which starts with the holism of Bradley, JULIET FLOYD, BOSTON UnIVERSITY an early influence on her, to which Moore and Russell’s logi- CHRIS PINCOCK, OHIO STATE UnIVERSITY cal analysis was a response.
[Show full text]