Reference and Structure in the Philosophy of Language: A Defense of the Russellian Orthodoxy

Description

This volume investigates the precise contours of the connections between two foundational concepts: reference (the means of semantically expressing singular or object-dependent information) and structure (the having or lacking of meaningful sub-parts). Sullivan shows that the notion of structure, properly excavated, underlies and grounds various important points in the theory of reference. As such, this work builds on and further develops work by Bertrand Russell, Saul Kripke, David Kaplan, and Stephen Neale – principally, among many others. Sullivan aims to clearly establish the intrinsic connections between structure and reference, which brings into focus informative and explanatory connections underlying otherwise disparate debates about various aspects of linguistic communication. The overall result is a simple, comprehensive lens that can help to clarify a wide range of semantic phenomena. Cover......Page 1 Reference and Structure in the Philosophy of Language......Page 2 Title Page......Page 5 Copyright Page......Page 6 Table of Contents......Page 8 List of Tables......Page 10 Preface......Page 11 Introduction......Page 14 PART I Framing the Project......Page 19 1 Two Distinctions Within the Category of Designators......Page 20 2 Further Defining the Central Theses......Page 27 PART II Rigid Designation, Proper Names, and Structure......Page 37 3 Structure and Rigidity......Page 38 4 Structure and Naming......Page 60 PART III The Prima Facie Counterexamples......Page 78 Interlude: Interim Review and a Look Ahead......Page 79 5 Referential Uses of Denoting Expressions......Page 82 6 Complex Referring Expressions......Page 100 PART IV Conclusions......Page 118 7 Summary, Overview, and General Morals......Page 119 Notes......Page 134 Bibliography......Page 160 Index......Page 166