Programme
Paul Thom
The University of Sydney
Gersonides’ Logic of Substantial and Accidental Change
Gersonides' modal syllogistic includes a treatment of syllogisms from two contingent premises to a contingent conclusion. He understands contingent propositions as referring to the future. He distinguishes essential from accidental contingencies, depending on whether the contingency involves substantial or accidental change. The contingency-syllogisms he accepts are not the same as are found in the Prior Analytics. The paper addresses the question whether Gersonides' system of contingency-syllogisms can be given a coherent semantics.