LING 2504 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Definite Description, Saul Kripke, John Stuart Mill
14 Dec 2015
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Russell argued that definite descriptions, which look like singular terms (cid:1) (grammatically), are in fact (logically) collections of three general statements. Definite descriptions are therefore used attributively, not referentially (cid:1) they are not singular terms (cid:1) when it comes to definite descriptions. The theory of descriptions resolves the four logical puzzles, at least. Quote, lycan, 9 (cid:1) (cid:1) (cid:1) (cid:1) (cid:1) (cid:1) Strawson: russell believed that sentences can have meaning and be true or false because they express propositions that are true or false. Strawson denies that sentences have meanings in this way what matters is how they are used. Donnellan: both russell and strawson are off-base. Russell assumes all descriptions are attributive, whereas strawson assumes all descriptions are referential. Strawson has a very different view of what linguistic expressions are and what they are supposed to do for us: he saw referring as an actions, not an abstract relation.
