Confluence as a Requirement for Reference Grounding

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Authors: Amos Maley
Cited by: 0

Abstract

This paper establishes confluence as a necessary condition for reference grounding. It shows that unless independent admissible redescriptions converge on the same referent, reference collapses into ambiguity or indeterminacy, regardless of internal coherence or empirical fit. Non-confluent systems are shown, by exhaustion, to permit drift, equivocation, or post-hoc stabilization, all of which violate admissibility. The result fixes confluence as a structural requirement for meaningful reference rather than a methodological preference. No algorithms, convergence procedures, or implementation guidance are given; the argument is necessity-based and eliminative.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Philosophy and Theoretical Science Epistemology Ethics and Metaphysics Philosophy Science and History

Publication details

Journal / source
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Publication date
7 February 2026