Abstract
To presuppose something is to take it for granted in a way that contrasts with asserting it. For example, if one assertively utters (1a) It was Sam who broke the typewriter. one presupposes that the typewriter was broken and asserts that Sam was the one who did it. Similarly, if one assertively utters (2a) John is going to drop out of school again. one presupposes that he has dropped out of school before and asserts that he will drop out in the future. In each case, the speaker commits himself both to that which he presupposes and to that which he asserts. However. there are important differences between the two.
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Soames, S. (1989). Presupposition. In: Handbook of Philosophical Logic. Synthese Library, vol 167. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1171-0_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1171-0_9
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