Single Idea 18942

[catalogued under 5. Theory of Logic / F. Referring in Logic / 1. Naming / b. Names as descriptive]

Full Idea

Russell's view of names, understood as a definite description, which is understood as a quantificational phrase, is not to contribute an object to propositions, but to contribute a complex of properties.

Gist of Idea

Russell says a name contributes a complex of properties, rather than an object

Source

report of Bertrand Russell (On Denoting [1905]) by Sarah Sawyer - Empty Names 3

Book Reference

'Routledge Companion to Phil of Language', ed/tr. Russell/Graff Faria [Routledge 2015], p.155


A Reaction

This seems to contradict the role of constants in first-logic, which are the paradigm names, picking out an object in the domain. Kripke says names and definite descriptions have different modal profiles.

Related Ideas

Idea 18941 Names don't have a sense, but are disguised definite descriptions [Russell, by Sawyer]

Idea 10453 In logic constants play the role of proper names [Bach]