Heaps and Chains: Is the Chaining Argument for parity a sorites?

Elson, L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3013-8030 (2014) Heaps and Chains: Is the Chaining Argument for parity a sorites? Ethics, 124 (3). pp. 557-571. ISSN 0014-1704 doi: 10.1086/674844

Abstract/Summary

I argue that the Ruth Chang’s Chaining Argument for her parity view of value incomparability trades illicitly on the vagueness of the predicate ‘is comparable with’. Chang is alert to this danger and argues that the predicate is not vague, but this defense does not succeed. The Chaining Argument also faces a dilemma. The predicate is either vague or precise. If it is vague, then the argument is most plausibly a sorites. If it is precise, then the argument is either question begging or dialectically ineffective. I argue that no chaining-type argument can succeed.