Bøker av Michael McKinsey

This book defends the Direct Reference (DR) thesis in philosophy of language regarding proper names and indexical pronouns. It uniquely draws out the significant consequences of DR when it is conjoined with the fact that these singular terms sometimes fail to refer.Even though DR is widely endorsed by philosophers of language, many philosophically important and radically controversial consequences of the thesis have gone largely unexplored. This book makes an important contribution to the DR literature by explicitly addressing the consequences that follow from DR regarding failure of reference. Michael McKinsey argues that only a form of neutral free logic can capture a revised concept of logical truth that is consistent with the fact that any sentence of any form that contains a directly referring genuine term can fail to be either true or false on interpretations where that term fails to refer. He also explains how it is possible for there to be true (or false) sentences that contain non-referring names, even though this possibility seems inconsistent with DR.Consequences of Reference Failure will be of interest to philosophers of language and logic and linguists working on Direct Reference.

Michael Owens is head of research and development for Sem-Con, the nation's largest defense contractor, strategically located in San Diego, California. Until now, he has led a quiet, contented life with his wife and four children. Dane Robinson is his new assistant. Dane has just relocated from the East Coast, where he was an all-star college baseball pitcher. Although they share a love for physics, chemistry, and scientific method, the two soon find that they have strong theoretical differences - Michael is a believer in God and has been his entire life; Dane is not and never was! Follow these two unlikely friends as they take a captivating voyage through life, love, tragedy, and personal growth. As their lives become more and more entwined, they find themselves on a collision course with each other and the world at large, culminating in discovery that will rock the Christian faith %u2013 and the physical world - to its core. This fast-paced novel is based on the author's personal journey of faith, family, and tragedy. His story will touch you with its sincere emotion and truth, and may cause you to question your own understanding of reality versus fiction. Follow the characters through near-death experiences, visions, and even conversations with God, to rejoice with them when they find their true meanings in life. In reading their stories, perhaps you will grow a little closer to your own discoveries, and the faith of your own heart.