Grice on the paradigm-case argument

paradigm case argument.

"A type of argument common in the heyday of linguistic philosophy , with its emphasis on actual linguistic usage."

"Philosophers have long disputed over whether there are such things as, say, free will or a good inductive argument."

"The paradigm case argument claims that if the expressions ‘free will’ and ‘good inductive argument’ are standardly applied in some situations and rejected in others, then the former must represent genuine cases of free will etc., or the expressions could not have the meanings they do have."

"It can, however, be doubted whether this proves the existence of free will etc. in any but a trivial sense."

"The argument is akin to, but weaker than, transcendental arguments , which appeal not to how we actually do speak but to how we must if we are to speak at all, either in general or on some given subject-matter."

Alan Lacey

Bibliography

R. J. Richman
On the Argument of the Paradigm Case.
Australasian Journal of Philosophy (1961), discussed by C. J. F. Williams (ibid.) and Richman (ibid. 1962 ).


How to cite this entry:
Dr Alan Lacey "paradigm case argument" The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. Oxford University Press 2005. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.