Talk:Formal Logic/Sentential Logic/The Sentential Language

New Terminology
I have started converting the terms "propositional calculus" and "predicate calculus" to "sentential logic" and "predicate logic". First, I'm changing "calculus" to "logic" because "logic" seems to be the more common usage. It's not a big deal, but as long as I'm making the other change, I might as well change this too. Second, I'm changing "propositional" to "sentential" for several reasons. 1) "Sentential" seems to be the more common usage. 2) "Sentential" fits better with a schematic notion of validity while "propositional" fits better with a modal notion of validity. The sentential notion is more commonly found, probably for better philosophical reason. 3) Thinking of propositions as objects of logic moves logic from the study of reason to the study of metaphysics. This generates very awkward problems.  The sentence "a=b" is true where "a" and "b" refer to the same object.  But propostional components a and b do not refer, they are the references of "a" and "b".  So the propostion a=b can not be true.  --JMRyan 19:21, 14 July 2005 (UTC)