BRANDOM’S LX THEORY OF LOGIC AND THE CHALLENGE OF AUTONOMOUS VOCABULARIES WITHOUT SUBSENTENTIAL STRUCTURE
BRANDOM’S LX THEORY OF LOGIC AND THE CHALLENGE OF AUTONOMOUS VOCABULARIES WITHOUT SUBSENTENTIAL STRUCTURE

Summary/Abstract: In this paper, I discuss one of John MacFarlane’s objections to Robert Brandom’s elaborating-explicating (LX) theory of logic, an objection concerning the logical character of quantifi cational vocabulary. After introducing Brandom’s theory, I analyze two response strategies to MacFarlane’s objection, a transcendental one, and the other one extending the notion of autonomous vocabulary as to incorporate ascriptional locutions and the practice of explicitly rejecting all or just some of the a speaker’s commitments. I argue that, in the end, both strategies are problematic and, thus, Brandom faces a dilemma if he wants to explain the logicality of quantifi cational vocabulary.

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