Vagueness
Updated 2026-09-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
A term is vague in the sense that it has borderline cases, and the concept of the borderline case therefore stands at the center of every account of vagueness. Vagueness is contrasted with ambiguity and with generality, in order to clarify the philosophical challenge it poses. In the boundary region a vague predicate is neither true nor false, so the principle of bivalence and the law of excluded middle fail, and no amount of further inquiry settles the matter.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Boundary probing: use a graded series of cases to find where the predicate gives out, and locate the source of disagreement. - Sorites decomposition: break the chain inference into single steps and expose the tiny differences being ignored. - Context calibration: tighten or loosen the standard with the context, without forcing a single sharp line.
Anchor fast decisions
A vague predicate is neither true nor false over its boundary region, so the principle of bivalence and the law of excluded middle fail there. Many-valued logic accommodates the indeterminacy with intermediate truth degrees; supervaluationism defines truth as truth under all precisifications; contextualism holds that the boundary shifts with context. How each treats borderline cases determines its reply to the sorites reasoning.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- plato.stanford.eduhttps://plato.stanford.edu/entries/vagueness/verified
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