Studia Neoaristotelica

Volume 9, Issue 2, 2012

A Journal of Analytic Scholasticism

Miroslav Hanke
Pages 154-183

John Mair on Semantic Paradoxes
Alethic and Correspondence Paradoxes II

John Mair (1467–1550) was an influential post-medieval scholar. This paper focuses on his Tractatus insolubilium, in which he proposed semantic analysis of self-referential phenomena, in particular on his solution to alethic and correspondence paradoxes and his treatment of their general semantic aspects as well as particular applications. His solution to paradoxes is based on the so-called “network evaluation”, i.e. on a semantics which defines the concepts of truth and correspondence with reality in contextual terms. Consequently, the relation between semantic valuation, synonymy and contradiction must be redefined.