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Single Idea 15158

[filed under theme 5. Theory of Logic / F. Referring in Logic / 2. Descriptions / a. Descriptions ]

Full Idea

The indefinite description in 'A man will meet you' is naturally treated as quantificational, but an occurrence in predicative position, in 'Jones is not a philosopher', doesn't have a natural quantificational counterpart.

Gist of Idea

Indefinite descriptions are quantificational in subject position, but not in predicate position

Source

Scott Soames (Philosophy of Language [2010], 1.23)

Book Ref

Soames,Scott: 'Philosophy of Language' [Princeton 2010], p.24

The 4 ideas with the same theme [general ideas about stating characteristics of objects]:

14455 'I met a unicorn' is meaningful, and so is 'unicorn', but 'a unicorn' is not [Russell]
7760 Russell only uses descriptions attributively, and Strawson only referentially [Donnellan, by Lycan]
10440 An object can be described without being referred to [Bach]
15158 Indefinite descriptions are quantificational in subject position, but not in predicate position [Soames]