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80-150 The Nature of Reason

Summer Two 2001, Dirk Schlimm
 
Homework No. 4
 
Friday, July 6 
  1. Reading.
    Read TTT, pages 22-31.

  2. Infinity and cardinality. (5 points)
    • If you feel comfortable with the mathematics discussed on pages 25-30, explain Cantor's second proof (p.29-30) in your own words.
    • If pages 25-30 don't make much sense to you, formulate 5-10 questions that you would ask in order to understand the text better.

  3. Category mistakes. (5 points)
    In yesterday's lecture we have said that it is not admissible to speak of a "valid statement" or a "true argument", after valid, statement, and argument had been introduced as in the lectures. This discussion is related to what Gilbert Ryle calls a category mistake.
    • Read the Ryle handout. In particular parts (2) and (3). The other parts are an application of Ryle's analysis to the mind-body problem.
    • Explain what Ryle means by category mistake. Use some examples to illustrate the point.
    • Discuss whether Ryle's analysis applies also to "This argument is true"?