In philosophy and logic, the term proposition refers to either (a) the "content" or"meaning" of a meaningful declarative sentence or (b) the pattern of symbols, marks, or sounds that make up a meaningful declarative sentence. The meaning of a proposition includes having the quality or property of being either true or false, and as such propositions are claimed to be truthbearers.
The existence of propositions in sense (a) above, as well as the existence of "meanings," is disputed by some philosophers. Where the concept of a "meaning" is admitted, its nature is controversial. In earlier texts writers have not always made it sufficiently clear whether they are using the term proposition in sense of the words or the "meaning" expressed by the words. To avoid the controversies and ontological implications, the term sentence is often now used instead of proposition to refer to just those strings of symbols that are truthbearers, being either true or false under an interpretation. Strawson advocated the use of the term "statement," and some mathematicians have adopted this usage.
Read more about Proposition: Relation To The Mind, Treatment in Logic, Objections To Propositions, Related Concepts
Other articles related to "proposition, propositions":
... Proposition C would change the City's appointment process to the Transbay Joint Powers Authority by designating the Mayor and two members of the Board of Supervisors to represent the City ... Proposition C Choice Votes Percentage No 93,905 71.72% Yes 37,030 28.28% Invalid or blank votes 25,337 16.21% Total votes 156,272 100.00% Voter turnout 37.11% ...
... Proposition 1E was a defeated California ballot proposition that appeared on the May 19, 2009 special election ballot ... If passed Proposition 1E would have authorized a one-time reallocation of income tax revenue to help balance the state budget ...
... Simple facts are often stated as propositions "Apples are a type of fruit." The opposite statement—"Apples are not a type of fruit"—is still a properly formulated ... A premise is a proposition that is used as the foundation for drawing conclusions ...
... The proposition produced a heated debate, with strongly polarised opinions in the media – from outright rejection to unreserved support ... Allehanda, Svenska Dagbladet and Hallands Nyheter praising the proposition on the ground that it would lead to “disciplining and a spiritual uplift” of the youth, while the left generally ... Democratic newspaper Socialdemokraten endorsed the proposition on the ground of its potential effects on social integration ...
... Supreme Court reported its decision on the validity of Proposition 8 and the 18,000 same-sex marriages in question ... The proposition was upheld, but existing marriages were allowed to stand ... rests inaccurately upon an overstatement of the effect of Proposition 8 on both the fundamental constitutional right of privacy guaranteed by article I, section 1, and on the due process and equal ...
Famous quotes containing the word proposition:
“Whenever a man acts purposively, he acts under a belief in some experimental phenomenon. Consequently, the sum of the experimental phenomena that a proposition implies makes up its entire bearing upon human conduct.”
—Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914)
“The perfect God in his revelations of himself has never got to the length of one such proposition as you, his prophets, state.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Truth exists. The sole purpose of this proposition is to assert the existence of truth against imbeciles and sceptics.”
—Edward Herbert Of Cherbury, Lord (1583–1648)