Reasonable Inference and the Problem of Existential Import

Simon Varey

In this talk, I want to differentiate between two problems of existential import. One problem is the fact that certain inference patterns in term logic appear to be invalid. A second, more interesting problem is the question of why anyone thought that were valid in the first place, and why they still seem to have a certain intuitive appeal. I will argue that, by understanding P. F. Strawson’s interpretation of term logic in terms of Robert Stalnaker’s notion of reasonable inference, we are able to solve this second question. Essentially, I will argue that the intuitive appeal of traditional term logic is explicable if we understand term logic as a system of inferences under presupposition