SSP Forum: Joshua Phillips on future contingents

The
Symbolic Systems Forum
(community sessions of SYMSYS 280 - Symbolic Systems Research Seminar)
presents

Branching Times Metaphysics, Irrealist Semantics + Natural Language Negation

Joshua Phillips
Linguistics Department

Monday, March 10, 2025
12;30-1:20 pm PT
Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg. 460), Room 126
In-person event, not recorded (see below for entry instructions if you are not an active Stanford affiliate)

Note: Lunch is provided, if pre-ordered, only for members of SYMSYS 280, but others are welcome to bring a lunch and eat during the presentation.

ABSTRACT:

In this talk, i describe the problem of “future contingents” — in effect, how we determine the truth of statements about the future — and outline “branching times” theoretic approaches to this question. in recent work in linguistic semantics, these models have shed light on the notion of “reality status”, a grammatical category that draws a broad distinction between actual and non-actual states of affairs. drawing on novel data from djambarrpuyŋu, a language spoken in northern Australia, I implement a branching-times theoretic analysis of their reality status system that draws on insights from theories of natural language negation to account for an asymmetry in the marking of reality status in negative versus positive sentences.

Notes on entry to the meeting room:

Entry to the building is open to anyone with an active Stanford ID via the card readers next to each door. If you do not have a Stanford ID, you can gain entry between 12:15 and 12:30pm ONLY by knocking on the exterior windows of room 126. These windows are to the left of the west side exterior door on the first floor of Margaret Jacks Hall, which faces the back east side of Building 420. Please do not knock on these windows after 12:30pm when the talk has started. We will not be able to come out and open the door for you at that point.