The definition of ‘Act of Expressive Communication’ requires them to express a speaker’s attitudes and emotions towards some proposition. But must that always be true? The definitions for AEC’s subclasses seem to indicate not: An act of apologizing, for instance, appears to express the speaker’s attitudes/emotions towards a ‘fault, shortcoming, or failure’, and it would seem that an act of thanking might express the speaker’s attitudes/emotions (i.e., gratitude) towards another agent.
In addition, the definition for AEC requires an AEC to have a speaker, but presumably this needn’t be so (since not all communication is verbal).
Moreover, the definition requires an AEC to express both attitudes and emotions, but presumably just one would do.
Thus I propose modifying the AEC definition, perhaps as follows:
An Act of Communication in which an Agent expresses their attitudes or emotions towards some entity.
(Notes: First, it might be possible to drop the ‘towards some entity’ part. Second, the fact that an Act of Communication needn’t have a speaker affects the definitions of some of its other subclasses too, but I’ll hold off on suggesting changes to them at this point since some have other issues too.)
The definition of ‘Act of Expressive Communication’ requires them to express a speaker’s attitudes and emotions towards some proposition. But must that always be true? The definitions for AEC’s subclasses seem to indicate not: An act of apologizing, for instance, appears to express the speaker’s attitudes/emotions towards a ‘fault, shortcoming, or failure’, and it would seem that an act of thanking might express the speaker’s attitudes/emotions (i.e., gratitude) towards another agent.
In addition, the definition for AEC requires an AEC to have a speaker, but presumably this needn’t be so (since not all communication is verbal).
Moreover, the definition requires an AEC to express both attitudes and emotions, but presumably just one would do.
Thus I propose modifying the AEC definition, perhaps as follows:
(Notes: First, it might be possible to drop the ‘towards some entity’ part. Second, the fact that an Act of Communication needn’t have a speaker affects the definitions of some of its other subclasses too, but I’ll hold off on suggesting changes to them at this point since some have other issues too.)