A common objection to Russell's theory of descriptions concerns incomplete definite descripti... more A common objection to Russell's theory of descriptions concerns incomplete definite descriptions: uses of (for example) 'the book is overdue' in contexts where there is clearly more than one book. Many contemporary Russellians hold that such utterances will invariably convey a contextually determined complete proposition, for example, that the book in your briefcase is overdue. But according to the objection this gets things wrong: typically, when a speaker utters such a sentence, no facts about the context or the speaker's communicative intentions single out a particular description-theoretic proposition as the proposition expressed. However, this is an objection only if it is assumed that successful linguistic communication requires the hearer to identify a proposition uniquely intended by the speaker. We argue that this assumption is mistaken. On our view, no proposition, descriptive or referential, is uniquely intended in such a context; thus, no proposition can nor need be identified as the proposition expressed. One significant upshot is that, once the aforementioned assumption is rejected, incompleteness no longer poses a threat to Russell's theory of descriptions.
The fact that (1) “Cicero = Tully” is informative whereas (2) “Cicero = Cicero” is not seems to r... more The fact that (1) “Cicero = Tully” is informative whereas (2) “Cicero = Cicero” is not seems to resist explanation on traditional referentialist principles. According to Fine, the referentialist can make sense of the difference by appealing to the fact that in (2), but not (1), the singular-term occurrences are?coordinated. I argue that Fine’s account of this crucial notion is inadequate and present an alternative way of understanding it, one on which coordination facts do not enter into the content of what is said or asserted. To borrow from Wittgenstein, coordination lies not with what my words?say, but with what my words?show. To demystify the notion of showing, I indicate how it can be understood in terms of Grice’s notion of conventional implicature.
Bertrand Russell's theory of definite descriptions sparked an ongoing debate concerning the p... more Bertrand Russell's theory of definite descriptions sparked an ongoing debate concerning the proper logical and linguistic analysis of definite descriptions. While it is now widely acknowledged that, like the indexical expressions 'I', 'here', and 'now', definite descriptions in natural language are context-sensitive, there is significant disagreement as to the ultimate challenge this context-sensitivity poses to Russell's theory.This reader is intended both to introduce students to the philosophy of language via the theory of descriptions, and to provide scholars in analytic philosophy with ready access to some of the central contributions in this area. It includes classic works by Russell, Carnap, Strawson, Lambert, Donnellan, Grice, Peacocke, Kripke, Wettstein, Soames, Neale, and Schiffer.
The serious study of descriptions begins with the theories of Bertrand Russell, who held that def... more The serious study of descriptions begins with the theories of Bertrand Russell, who held that definite and indefinite descriptions are both devices of quantification. The present article begins by providing the historical background to Russell's mature theory of descriptions, a detailed overview of the theory, and a brief account of contemporary implementations of Russell's views. Criticisms of Russell's approach are then considered, as are alternative approaches. In particular, singular term theories of definite descriptions and ambiguity theories of both definite and indefinite descriptions are described, as are recent nonquantificational approaches to indefinites.
Elizabeth Bishop’s celebrated poem relates a story in which six-year-old Elizabeth is confronted,... more Elizabeth Bishop’s celebrated poem relates a story in which six-year-old Elizabeth is confronted, in the mundane surroundings of a dentist’s waiting room, with her self as an entity in the public world. Her discovery—that she is “one of them”—is met first with disbelief, then horror. This reflection argues that the poem provides a unique expression of a profound philosophical discovery—one not communicable in standard philosophical writing.
A common objection to Russell's theory of descriptions concerns incomplete definite descripti... more A common objection to Russell's theory of descriptions concerns incomplete definite descriptions: uses of (for example) 'the book is overdue' in contexts where there is clearly more than one book. Many contemporary Russellians hold that such utterances will invariably convey a contextually determined complete proposition, for example, that the book in your briefcase is overdue. But according to the objection this gets things wrong: typically, when a speaker utters such a sentence, no facts about the context or the speaker's communicative intentions single out a particular description-theoretic proposition as the proposition expressed. However, this is an objection only if it is assumed that successful linguistic communication requires the hearer to identify a proposition uniquely intended by the speaker. We argue that this assumption is mistaken. On our view, no proposition, descriptive or referential, is uniquely intended in such a context; thus, no proposition can nor need be identified as the proposition expressed. One significant upshot is that, once the aforementioned assumption is rejected, incompleteness no longer poses a threat to Russell's theory of descriptions.
The fact that (1) “Cicero = Tully” is informative whereas (2) “Cicero = Cicero” is not seems to r... more The fact that (1) “Cicero = Tully” is informative whereas (2) “Cicero = Cicero” is not seems to resist explanation on traditional referentialist principles. According to Fine, the referentialist can make sense of the difference by appealing to the fact that in (2), but not (1), the singular-term occurrences are?coordinated. I argue that Fine’s account of this crucial notion is inadequate and present an alternative way of understanding it, one on which coordination facts do not enter into the content of what is said or asserted. To borrow from Wittgenstein, coordination lies not with what my words?say, but with what my words?show. To demystify the notion of showing, I indicate how it can be understood in terms of Grice’s notion of conventional implicature.
Bertrand Russell's theory of definite descriptions sparked an ongoing debate concerning the p... more Bertrand Russell's theory of definite descriptions sparked an ongoing debate concerning the proper logical and linguistic analysis of definite descriptions. While it is now widely acknowledged that, like the indexical expressions 'I', 'here', and 'now', definite descriptions in natural language are context-sensitive, there is significant disagreement as to the ultimate challenge this context-sensitivity poses to Russell's theory.This reader is intended both to introduce students to the philosophy of language via the theory of descriptions, and to provide scholars in analytic philosophy with ready access to some of the central contributions in this area. It includes classic works by Russell, Carnap, Strawson, Lambert, Donnellan, Grice, Peacocke, Kripke, Wettstein, Soames, Neale, and Schiffer.
The serious study of descriptions begins with the theories of Bertrand Russell, who held that def... more The serious study of descriptions begins with the theories of Bertrand Russell, who held that definite and indefinite descriptions are both devices of quantification. The present article begins by providing the historical background to Russell's mature theory of descriptions, a detailed overview of the theory, and a brief account of contemporary implementations of Russell's views. Criticisms of Russell's approach are then considered, as are alternative approaches. In particular, singular term theories of definite descriptions and ambiguity theories of both definite and indefinite descriptions are described, as are recent nonquantificational approaches to indefinites.
Elizabeth Bishop’s celebrated poem relates a story in which six-year-old Elizabeth is confronted,... more Elizabeth Bishop’s celebrated poem relates a story in which six-year-old Elizabeth is confronted, in the mundane surroundings of a dentist’s waiting room, with her self as an entity in the public world. Her discovery—that she is “one of them”—is met first with disbelief, then horror. This reflection argues that the poem provides a unique expression of a profound philosophical discovery—one not communicable in standard philosophical writing.
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