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Re: Negation of a relational quantified term?

Joe, sorry to disappoint you. But so far you have not managed to convince me. I'm not taking any line - I'm open-minded. But so far you have not shown me a convincing proof. Try formulating your thesis without dogs and beagles and without owners. Just symbols A, B, C, etc. for the terms, but still in ordinary language for the rest of it. You will, I wager, see for yourself that it can't be done.

One more comment I can make is that you do not realize that the negation of a complex term of the sort you have put forward is broader than you conceive. For example, the negation of [a creature that likes some dogs] is not [a creature that dislikes all dogs] - for it includes all other things in the universe. Or to put it differently, or more narrowly, not to like is not to dislike, because there is a third alternative, viz. indifference. Similarly with your other terms.

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