Propositions are the sort of objects that can have truth-values. Once the distinction is made, the key idea is this: statements express propositions, which are then said to be true or false.
That's pretty much it. In philosophy of language and metaphysics , statements are linguistic objects, like sentences of a natural language. Propositions are traditionally understood as the meanings of sentences of a language in a context of utterance.
The German statement "Schnee ist Weiss. The distinction is arguably not immediately relevant for model-theoretic semantics of formal languages. Very few if any take the well-formed formulas of a formal language of mathematics to express propositions, although the connection between the semantics of formal languages and the semantics of natural languages is a hotbed of linguistic and philosophical issues of active research since at least Montague.
Propositions are truth-bearing items, essentially dwelling in language; however, abstracted from the specific features of any particular language, indexicals fixed and references resolved. But this is not bound to entail that this proposition is independent of language. One may get a grip on this point by trying to conjure up a proposition that could be not expressible in language.
To emphasise the point, it may be remarked that the usage "propositional logic" is more appropriate than "sentential logic" is. Hence, the view that propositions are not linguistic objects is deficient.
Likewise, viewing a proposition as a meaning is a category mistake; meaning cannot be true or false. Taking a true proposition as reflecting a fact carved out of reality in the broadest sense subject to the constraints of language is sufficient to grasp the thread running across many philosophical contexts.
The term 'statement' is too general with respect to 'proposition' and is proper to employ when one does not need to commit oneself to certain propositions singled out like theorems in mathematics. A proposition is a type of logical statement. A statement does not have to be a proposition logical. Proposition is just a declarative statement which doesn't depend on the language in which it's being said.
That means if you specify something has proposition, then you are specifying the substance of what it is saying rather than its grammar, usage of words etc. Whereas statement is language specific and always contain the same proposition of what it is saying though it differs grammar, word usage etc.
For Ex 1. In both the languages the propositions are the same but the statements differ. Well the question you pose indicates that you believed that the math definition was the end all be all and then reality struck. You found out the math definition was strictly in the context of math. Well why not start off teaching that way? There are other types of logic.
Math is not the only field that has a logic component. Philosophy has one, Psychology has one, Rhetoric has one, etc. You must not assume all logic is logic. This is where you went wrong. In philosophy, propositions are defined as mental components. They do not have physical properties or attributes. They don't apply to your human senses. You can't see or hear a proposition. The key here is propositions are not physical. Statements on the other hand must be physical.
A statement outside of math is any physical communication method to relay an idea to another human being. This communication does not have to be verbal or written. You may tend to think of statements as verbal or written. This is an assumption because this is what you are used to and aren't directly told otherwise. A traffic sign relays a message such as to STOP or slow down.
Me pointing a loaded gun at you relays a message which is a statement. If you understand the message then the communication is a statement for certain. This does not mean if you cant understand the message there is no statement. Hand gestures can relay a message.
I don't literally have to say what I am thinking if I use gestures. A gorilla charges at you in a threatening manner is making a clear statement without being able to understand English. In my youth my mother would make statements with just her looks.
I would see disgust on her face if I misbehaved in her presence but she was too far away from me to yelll at me or smack me for acting the fool when I knew better. The difference is that statements merely express propositions. So a statement is "true" in virtue of the proposition it expresses being true. That is why only propositions are truth-bearers, while things like statements, thoughts, or ideas are not.
In this sense, propositions are more fundamental and for some philosophers, they exist as abstract entities whereas statements do not. Additionally, two different statements may also express the same proposition but not vice versa. For example, it can be expressed by the statement, "It is not the case that it is raining", or the statement "It is not raining". So here, the same proposition is expressed by the two distinct statements.
Given this difference, it'd be more appropriate to say that statements are synonymous with sentences rather than propositions.
Viewed 3k times. But to me a proposition seems to be the exact same thing. Is there a difference? No logical connectives? Many people use different words to indicate often somewhat technical distinctions. The problem is, people often don't care about the distinctions or are making other distinctions and so they use the terms in a looser sense or with totally different distinctions in mind. And then different groups just prefer different terms.
You will ultimately need to find the definition the author is using to know. You can't rely a single, universal definition except to the vaguest extent. I also limit "expression" to terms generally, so I would not usually call a proposition an expression though in some cases propositions and terms get identified.
Show 3 more comments. Active Oldest Votes. The meaningful ones we call it statements : they "are either true or false". Finally: we call statements the well-formed expressions. Community Bot 1. Graham Kemp. Add a comment. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google. Sign up using Facebook. Sign up using Email and Password.
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