that/who/whom

[Phaedrus]

The gap is a 'raised object' in that the verb it relates to syntactically is higher in the constituent structure that the one it relates to semantically.

Since the gap is syntactically the object of "like", strictly speaking the pronoun should be "whom".

Exactly. I was trying to avoid using the term "raised object" in post #22, where I disagreed with your first explanation, which had endorsed "who."

I like how you point out that the "raising" of the object is essentially a syntactic phenomenon, which here accounts for the need for the accusative pronoun.

Semantically, the very pronoun that functions as the direct object of "like" (in the syntax) is understood as the subject of the lower clause.

One interesting question that can be asked about Navi's examples is whether the version with "whom" means the same as the version with "that" or nothing.

Is it the case that there exist four people whom the speaker would like to take care of his father together?

Or do there exist four people that the speaker would like to take care of his father? He'd like X to do so, but he'd also be interested in having Y do so, etc.