Problems of deflationism: semantic epistemicism

Semantic epistemicism is a way of resolving of semantic paradoxes, in particular the paradox of liar and the paradoxes associated with semantically indeterminate terms (paradoxes of vagueness). Deflation-ism about truth can be defined as a theory of truth according to which the notion of truth is understood as a metaphysically empty notion, performing a specific logical-linguistic functions in a language, and such a notion that can be fully explained by the equivalence scheme. As part of the approach of semantic epistemicism, what is traditionally considered as the semantic paradoxes is given a new interpretation as epistemic paradoxes. In this connection, it can be argued that the resolving of these paradoxes is epistemological rather than a semantic problem. As part of the semantic epistemicism argues that the border (the sharp cut-off points of the use of "indeterminate" terms) exists, but it is not knowable to ordinary speakers. In the application of semantic epistemicism to resolve semantic paradoxes in the deflationary approach it is necessary to limit the intersubstitution of sides of deflationary equivalence scheme. To resolve problems with interchangeability of left and right sides of the equivalence scheme the concept of contextuality can be used to limit the scheme, the additional requirement of disposi-tional nature of the readiness of a particular speaker to interchange left and right sides of the equivalence scheme. Introducing such a pragmatic principle, we are able to approach the epistemic definition of semantic concepts. This approach can be developed as a pragmatic interpretation of deflationism.

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