Semantical Essays

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-viii

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2. Possible Worlds

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-2

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   2. Possible Worlds

      • M. J. Cresswell

      Pages 3-11

   3. Semantic Competence

      • M. J. Cresswell

      Pages 12-33

   4. Semantics and Logic

      • M. J. Cresswell

      Pages 34-46

   5. Physical Theories and Possible Worlds

      • M. J. Cresswell

      Pages 47-61

3. Situations and Attitudes

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 63-64

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   2. The World Situation (It’s a small world after all)

      • M. J. Cresswell

      Pages 65-77

   3. Quotational Theories of Propositional Attitudes

      • M. J. Cresswell

      Pages 78-103

   4. More about Inscriptionalism

      • M. J. Cresswell

      Pages 104-114

4. Quantification and Reference

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 115-116

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   2. Identity and Intensional Objects

      • M. J. Cresswell

      Pages 117-133

   3. The Greek-Turkish Imbroglio

      • M. J. Cresswell

      Pages 134-161

   4. Some Recent Theories of Anaphora

      • M. J. Cresswell

      Pages 162-197

5. Back Matter

   Pages 198-212

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Over a longer period than I sometimes care to contemplate I have worked on possible-worlds semantics. The earliest work was in modal logic, to which I keep returning, but a sabbatical in 1970 took me to UCLA, there to discover the work of Richard Montague in applying possible-worlds semantics to natural lan­ guage. My own version of this appeared in Cresswell (1973) and was followed up in a number of articles, most of which were collected in Cresswell (1985b). A central problem for possible­ worlds semantics is how to accommodate propositional attitudes. This problem was addressed in Cresswell (1985a), and the three books mentioned so far represent a reasonably complete picture of my positive views on formal semantics. I have regarded the presentation of a positive view as more important than the criticism of alternatives, although the works referred to do contain many passages in which I have tried to defend my own views against those of others. But such criticism is important in that a crucial element in establishing the content of a theory is that we be able to evaluate it in relation to its com­ petitors. It is for that reason that I have collected in this volume a number of articles in which I attempt to defend the positive semantical picture I favour against objections and competing theories.

• identity
• logic
• proposition
• semantic
• semantics

• Department of Philosophy, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

  M. J. Cresswell

Policies and ethics