Publication Details

Abstract

Philosophers often consider vagueness (a linguistic expressions admits of unclear or borderline cases of application) to be an undesirable phenomenon. The authors of the text reject the exi stence of ontological vagueness, and, in cooperation with T. Williamson, they find the roots of vagueness in insufficient understanding. Apart from epistemological vagueness, though, they advocate for the existence of semantic vagueness, stemming from the ambiguity and inconsistency of boundaries and ranges of linguistic expressions. While agreeing with the impossibility of complete elimination of semantic vagueness, the authors point to its possible advantage in daily communication and its possible progressiveness in the search for newer, better understanding.