more from this thinker
|
more from this text
Single Idea 18414
[filed under theme 19. Language / C. Assigning Meanings / 9. Indexical Semantics
]
Full Idea
Fregeans tend to treat as a fundamental tenet that sense determines reference; same sense, same reference. From that it follow trivially that indexicals don't have the same sense: different uses of 'I' have different referents, so sense must differ.
Gist of Idea
Fregeans say 'I' differs in reference, so it must also differ in sense
Source
Cappelen,H/Dever,Josh (The Inessential Indexical [2013], 04.6)
Book Ref
Cappelen,H/Dever,J: 'The Inessential Indexical' [OUP 2013], p.72
A Reaction
Interesting. Since it seems implausible that 'I' is profoundly different when two people use it, this seems to be a strong argument against Frege's distinction. But I rather like Frege's distinction, while being sceptical about 'I', so I'm baffled....
The
15 ideas
with the same theme
[giving meanings for terms that obviously depend on context]:
19233
|
Indexicals are unusual words, because they stimulate the hearer to look around
[Peirce]
|
21550
|
Science reduces indexicals to a minimum, but they can never be eliminated from empirical matters
[Russell]
|
7769
|
You can state truth-conditions for "I am sick now" by relativising it to a speaker at a time
[Davidson, by Lycan]
|
12151
|
If we replace 'I' in sentences about me, they are different beliefs and explanations of behaviour
[Perry]
|
18412
|
Indexicals individuate certain belief states, helping in explanation and prediction
[Perry]
|
22418
|
I can know indexical truths a priori, unlike their non-indexical paraphrases
[McGinn]
|
6899
|
The references of indexicals ('there', 'now', 'I') depend on the circumstances of utterance
[Mautner]
|
15605
|
I take indexicals such as 'this' and 'that' to be linked to some associated demonstration
[Fine,K]
|
22932
|
We don't just describe a time as 'now' from a private viewpoint, but as a fact about the world
[Le Poidevin]
|
16389
|
If two people think 'I am tired', they think the same thing, and they think different things
[Recanati]
|
16364
|
Indexical don't refer; only their tokens do
[Recanati]
|
16363
|
Indexicals (like mental files) determine their reference relationally, not by satisfaction
[Recanati]
|
18408
|
Indexicals are just non-constant in meaning, and don't involve any special concepts
[Cappelen/Dever]
|
18414
|
Fregeans say 'I' differs in reference, so it must also differ in sense
[Cappelen/Dever]
|
18423
|
All indexicals can be expressed non-indexically
[Cappelen/Dever]
|