The Fuzzy Logic of the Chemical Bond

Abstract I present two arguments concerning the metaphysics of the chemical bond—the interatomic state underlying the structure of matter—by examining its structural and energetic conceptions. First, I argue that these conceptions of the chemical bond are plagued by an inherent vagueness owing to their sorites-susceptibility. Second, I argue that such vagueness can be remedied through infinite-valued semantics via a compatibility function that assigns degrees of chemical bonding to any pair of atoms, depending on their spatial arrangement. I support these arguments through quantum-mechanical calculations of the archetypal hydrogen molecule.