The Aim of this study is to give a proper understanding of the relation between indefinite extensibility and unrestricted quantification. In particular, we examine M. Dummett's arguments against classical quantification over objects falling under an i...
The Aim of this study is to give a proper understanding of the relation between indefinite extensibility and unrestricted quantification. In particular, we examine M. Dummett's arguments against classical quantification over objects falling under an indefinitely extensible concept and his advocation of intuitionistic quantification over such a domain. We also examine the relation of Dummett's arguments with other arguments for and against the unrestricted quantification.
There appeared several new analyses concerning the concept of indefinite extensibility since B. Russell's and M. Dummett's. Beginning with the suggestion that a concept is indefinitely extensible only if there is an injection from the concept of ordinal into it, S. Shapiro and C. Wright formulates a more general concept of indefinite extensibility. In particular, they argue that the concept of indefinite extensibility can play a key role for explicating the Aristotelian concept of potential infinity. K. Fine develops a modal formulation of the concept of indefinite extensibility. We examine these analyses in comparison with those of Russell and Dummett.
Dummett's rather surprising claim is that not only are concepts and relations such as set, ordinal, cardinal and identity indefinitely extensible, the concept of natural number is indefinitely extensible. However, keeping in mind that the distance between Peano arithmetic and Heyting arithmetic is unsubstantial, it is not clear how Dummett's thesis that quantification over natural numbers should be intuitionistic rather than classical because the concept of natural number is indefintely extensible should be understood. One suggestion is as follows. The extension of indefinitely extensible concept cannot be understood as a completed totality independently of the grasp of the concept. So, quantifications over the extension of an indefinitely extensible concept should not be understood classically, like infinite conjunctions or infinite disjunctions. Rather, it should be understood intuitionistically in terms of proofs. However, this understanding of Dummett's argument is not quite satisfactory. Keeping in mind their views regarding the relation between metaphysics and theory of meaning, this line of approach fits more closely to E. Brouwer rather than M. Dummett. So, it remains to examine Dummett's thesis as a semantic one. In particular, the thesis should be examined in the framework of Dummett's verificationst or justificationst theory of meaning.
Arguments against unrestricted quantification are based on indefinite extensibility, restriction to sortal concepts, all in one principle and semantic indeterminacy. Dummett's arguments are sometimes regarded as one against unrestricted quantification. However, Dummett's argument based on indefinte extensibility is not one against unrestricted quantification, it is rather against classical quantification. Dummett's argument against unrestricted quantification, if any, may be derived from his claim that domains of quantifiers should be restricted to extensions of sortal concept (substantival general term). Sortal concept should give a criterion of identity for objects falling under the concept. As the concept of thing, object or identity can be hardly regarded as giving criteria of identity for objects falling under the concepts or the relation, Dummett's claim could be developed into an argument against unrestricted quantification. However, the relation between such an argument and indefinite extensibility is not clear. C. Parsons gives an argument against unrestricted quantification based on the claim that it commits metaphysical realism. T. Williamson and Vann McGee give arguments for unrestricted quantification based on the use of quantifiers. These arguments are interesting in that they are basically semantical and requires a close examination in comparison with Dummett's.