Vague Analysis

Abstract

It might be thought that vagueness precludes the possibility of classical conceptual analysis and, thus, that the classical or definitional view of the nature of complex concepts is incorrect. The present paper argues that classical analysis can be had for concepts expressed by vague language since (1) all of the general theories of vagueness are compatible with the thesis that all complex concepts have classical analyses and also that (2) the meaning of vague expressions can be analyzed by having the degree of vagueness of a given analysandum be "mapped" onto the vagueness of an analysans.

Supervaluationist entailment and definitions

“…The vagueness of 'greycat' would be captured by its definiens. I have noted elsewhere (in Earl (2010)) that degree theories of vagueness are committed to the exact degree of vagueness of the definiendum being "mapped" into the definiens. This is necessary for any definition of a vague term to be true, given the entailments asserted by any definition.…”