Professor Forbes's main areas of expertise are in philosophy of language and metaphysics. In philosophy of language he is primarily interested in using type-logical methods to extend event semantics to intensional discourse. Secondarily, he works on the semantics of vague expressions and the pragmatics of logical constants. In metaphysics his main efforts concern the application of modal logic to issues involving identity and possibility.
keywords
type-logical semantics, event semantics, intensional discourse, pragmatics of logical constants, semantics of vague expressions, modal logic, identity, possibility.
Solving the iteration problem.
Linguistics and Philosophy: a journal of natural language syntax, semantics, logic, pragmatics, and processing.
311-330.
1993
Reply to Marks.
Philosophical Studies: an international journal for philosophy in the analytic tradition.
281-295.
1993
So-labeled neo-Fregeanism.
Philosophical Studies: an international journal for philosophy in the analytic tradition.
265-279.
1993
Melia on Modalism.
Philosophical Studies: an international journal for philosophy in the analytic tradition.
57-63.
1992
Arnold's ‘Oracles’.
Essays in Criticism: a quarterly journal of literary criticism.
41-56.
1973
Teaching
courses taught
PHIL 2440 - Symbolic Logic
Primary Instructor
-
Spring 2018 / Fall 2018 / Spring 2019 / Fall 2019
Introduces students to sentential logic, the logic of quantification and some of the basic concepts and results of metalogic (interpretations, validity and soundness).
PHIL 4440 - Topics in Logic
Primary Instructor
-
Fall 2018
Provides for offering courses in a variety of topics in logic, including, but not limited to, mathematical logic, philosophical issues in logic, probability theory, decision theory, and inductive logic. Same as PHIL 5440. Recommended prerequisite: 12 hours PHIL coursework, including PHIL 2440.
PHIL 4460 - Modal Logic
Primary Instructor
-
Fall 2019
Introduces the most philosophically relevant kind of logic that builds on PHIL 2440. Modal logic is the logic of the concepts of necessity, possibility and contingency. A variety of systems of sentential modal logic will be covered, along with the standard system of first-order modal logic. Recommended prerequisite: PHIL 2440. Same as PHIL 5460.
PHIL 4490 - Philosophy of Language
Primary Instructor
-
Spring 2018
Examines the nature of language through topics such as truth, reference, meaning, and use, as well as the general relationships between language and action, cognition, logic, and reality. Same as PHIL 5490.
PHIL 5440 - Topics in Logic
Primary Instructor
-
Fall 2018
Provides for offering courses in a variety of topics in logic, including, but not limited to, mathematical logic, philosophical issues in logic, probability theory, decision theory, and inductive logic. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Same as PHIL 4440.
PHIL 5460 - Modal Logic
Primary Instructor
-
Fall 2019
Introduces the most philosophically relevant kind of logic that builds on PHIL 2440. Modal logic is the logic of the concepts of necessity, possibility and contingency. A variety of systems of sentential modal logic will be covered, along with the standard system of first-order modal logic. Same as PHIL 4460.
PHIL 5490 - Philosophy of Language
Primary Instructor
-
Spring 2018
Examines theories and problems regarding the nature of language and its relation to reality. Concepts discussed include sense, reference, conventions, intentions and their relation to science and social life. Relevant literature includes readings in Frege, Russell, Quine, Putnam, Kripke and Chomsky. Same as PHIL 4490.
