Taking Options and Decisions
Javier Leach · Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia · 2012
I distinguish two types of language, which I will call the language sign and the language of symbol. We use the language of sign when we take decisions in science and technology. The language of symbol is the language we use to speak about our options in metaphysics and religion. The analytical meaning of the language of sign and the global meaning of the language of symbol is studied in relation with the semantics of both languages. The mathematical formalization of the languages of sign has proved the incompleteness and undecidability of these languages. On the other hand Artificial Intelligence has raised the question of the possibility of reducing any language of symbol to a language of sign. But it is shown that the language of symbol cannot be totally reduced to the language of sign. I end the last section with two examples of two classical demonstrations of the existence of God. The logical structure of these demonstrations is clear and can be expressed in the language of sign, but the metaphysical meaning of the statements of the proof depends on metaphysical options that can only be expressed in the language of symbol.