Biolinguistics and Platonism: Contradictory or Consilient?

被引:0
作者
Watumull, Jeffrey [1 ,2 ]
机构
[1] Univ Cambridge, Dept Theoret & Appl Linguist, Sidgwick Ave, Cambridge CB3 9DA, England
[2] MIT, Dept Linguist & Philosophy, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
来源
BIOLINGUISTICS | 2013年 / 7卷
关键词
biolinguistics; discrete infinity; ontology; Platonism; Turing machine;
D O I
暂无
中图分类号
H [语言、文字];
学科分类号
05 ;
摘要
It has been argued that language is a Platonic object, and therefore that a biolinguistic ontology is incoherent. In particular, the notion of language as a system of discrete infinity has been argued to be inconsistent with the assumption of a physical (finite) basis for language. These arguments are flawed. Here I demonstrate that biolinguistics and mathematical Platonism are not mutually exclusive and contradictory, but in fact mutually reinforcing and consilient in a coherent and compelling philosophy of language. This consilience is effected by Turing's proof of the coherency of a finitary procedure generative of infinite sets.
引用
收藏
页码:301 / 315
页数:15
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