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Full Idea
Description theories of reference are supposed to have been well and truly refuted. I think not: ..it is still tenable with my seven points, and part of the truth of reference [7: rigidity, egocentric, tokens, causal, imperfect, indeterminate, families].
Gist of Idea
Descriptive theories remain part of the theory of reference (with seven mild modifications)
Source
David Lewis (Putnam's Paradox [1984], 'Glob Desc')
Book Ref
Lewis,David: 'Papers in Metaphysics and Epistemology' [CUP 1999], p.60
A Reaction
(The bit at the end refers to his seven points, on p.59). He calls his basic proposal 'causal descriptivism', incorporating his seven slight modifications of traditional descriptivism about reference.
14209 | Descriptive theories remain part of the theory of reference (with seven mild modifications) [Lewis] |
14215 | Causal theories of reference make errors in reference easy [Lewis] |
14210 | A gerrymandered mereological sum can be a mess, but still have natural joints [Lewis] |
14213 | Anti-realists see the world as imaginary, or lacking joints, or beyond reference, or beyond truth [Lewis] |
14212 | A consistent theory just needs one model; isomorphic versions will do too, and large domains provide those [Lewis] |