Grice on 'p ⊃ p' and an intersting weak notion of '=' ("Vacuous Names", p. 128)

by JLS for the GC

I THINK THIS PARAGRAPH may relate to the point R. B. Jones was raising in "Identity and predication". It's p. 128 of Grice's "Vacuous Names".

Grice writes of ANY formula -- he chooses "F1a2 )3 F1a2 --



p ⊃ p

is a theorem.

Grice writes:

"Since [p ⊃ p, or F1a2 ⊃3 F1a2]

is true whether OR NOT 'a' is vacuous,

the TRUTH of

F1a3 )2 F1a3 (in which "a" has become

dominant)

requires

ONLY

that a exists."


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And so,

the latter formula --

i.e.

"F1a3 )2 F1a3'

MAY be taken as ONE

representation of

'a exists'."


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Grice cares to transcribe this in even more general terms:

"More generally, if

(for some n) alpha is

the ONLY individual constant

in phi[n](alphan) and phi = psi ) psin-m, then phi may

be taken as a rperesntation of 'alpha exists'"



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But I'll re-read Jones's post to doublecheck if it relates!