Single Idea 15183

[catalogued under 10. Modality / E. Possible worlds / 3. Transworld Objects / b. Rigid designation]

Full Idea

'Dthat' is Kaplan's indexical operator; it operates on a given singular term, φ, and makes it into a rigid designator of whatever φ designates in the original context.

Gist of Idea

'Dthat' operates to make a singular term into a rigid term

Source

Alan Sidelle (Necessity, Essence and Individuation [1989], Ch.6 n11)

Book Reference

Sidelle,Alan: 'Necessity, Essence and Individuation' [Cornell 1989], p.178


A Reaction

I like this idea a lot, because it strikes me that referring to something rigidly is a clear step beyond referring to it in actuality. I refer to 'whoever turns up each week', but that is hardly rigid. The germ of 2-D semantics is here.

Related Idea

Idea 17003 Kaplan's 'Dthat' is a useful operator for transforming a description into a rigid designation [Kripke]