< 790 older entriesHome

Santorio on being neither able nor unable

Some ability statements sound wrong when affirmed but also when denied. Santorio (2024) proposes a new semantics that's built around this observation.

Suppose Ava is a mediocre dart player, and it's her turn. In this context, people often reject (1):

(1)Ava is able to hit the bullseye [on her next throw].

It's obviously possible that Ava gets lucky and hits the bullseye. But ability seems to require more than mere possibility of success. A common idea, which Santorio endorses, is that ability comes with a no-luck condition, something like this:

< 790 older entriesHome