Prawitz's Epistemic Grounding: An Investigation into the Power of Deduction

This book provides a critical reconstruction of Prawitz's epistemic grounding and discusses it within the broader field of proof-theoretic semantics. It offers a formal framework for the theory of grounds and investigates why and how some inferences have the epistemic power to compel us to accept their conclusion. The book is divided into three parts, discussing Prawitz's reasons for abandoning his previous semantics, presenting his grounding as found in his ground-theoretic papers, and developing a formal apparatus.

Format: Hardback
Length: 282 pages
Publication date: 02 January 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This book offers a comprehensive and critical reconstruction of Prawitz's epistemic grounding, exploring its place within the broader realm of proof-theoretic semantics. It also presents a formal framework for the theory of grounds, which enables the demonstration of various relevant results. By examining Prawitz's theory of grounds, this work addresses one of the fundamental questions in logic: why and how do certain inferences possess the epistemic power to compel us to accept their conclusion, even if we have accepted their premises? Prawitz proposes an innovative description of inferential acts, as applications of constructive operations on grounds for the premises, resulting in a ground for the conclusion.

The book is structured into three parts. In the first section, the author delves into the reasons behind Prawitz's departure from his previous semantics of valid arguments and proofs. The second part presents Prawitz's grounding as found in his ground-theoretic papers. Finally, in the third part, a formal apparatus is developed, consisting of a class of languages with terms equipped with denotation functions linking them to operations and grounds, as well as a class of systems where essential properties of the terms can be proved.

This book provides a deep and insightful exploration of Prawitz's epistemic grounding, shedding light on the mechanisms that enable inferences to have epistemic force. It offers a valuable contribution to the field of logic, advancing our understanding of the nature of reasoning and inference.

Weight: 606g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031202933
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023