Heaps and Chains: Is the Chaining Argument for parity a sorites?

Elson, L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3013-8030 (2014) Heaps and Chains: Is the Chaining Argument for parity a sorites? Ethics, 124 (3). pp. 557-571. ISSN 00141704 doi: 10.1086/674844

Abstract/Summary

I argue that the Ruth Chang’s Chaining Argument for her parity view of value incomparability trades illicitly on the vagueness of the predicate ‘is comparable with’. Chang is alert to this danger and argues that the predicate is not vague, but this defense does not succeed. The Chaining Argument also faces a dilemma. The predicate is either vague or precise. If it is vague, then the argument is most plausibly a sorites. If it is precise, then the argument is either question begging or dialectically ineffective. I argue that no chaining-type argument can succeed.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/39559
Identification Number/DOI	10.1086/674844
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	No Reading authors. Back catalogue items Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Humanities > Philosophy
Publisher	The University of Chicago Press
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