Definite Descriptions

by Paul Elbourne

Book Overview

This book argues that definite descriptions ('the table', 'the King of France') refer to individuals, as Gottlob Frege claimed. This apparently simple conclusion flies in the face of philosophical orthodoxy, which incorporates Bertrand Russell's theory that definite descriptions are devices of quantification. Paul Elbourne presents the first fully-argued defence of the Fregean view. He builds an explicit fragment of English using a version of situation...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0199660204
• ISBN13: 9780199660209
• Release Date: August 2013
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.7" x 9.6"