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Single Idea 18768
[filed under theme 9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 4. Impossible objects
]
Full Idea
Parmenides was correct - one cannot speak of that which is not, even to say that it is not. But one can speak of concepts and say of them that they do not correspond to anything real.
Gist of Idea
We cannot pick out a thing and deny its existence, but we can say a concept doesn't correspond
Source
C. Anthony Anderson (Identity and Existence in Logic [2014], 2.5)
Book Ref
'Bloomsbury Companion to Philosophical Logic', ed/tr. Horsten,L/Pettigrew,R [Bloomsbury 2014], p.71
A Reaction
[This summarises Alonso Church, who was developing Frege] This sounds like the right thing to say about non-existence, but then the same principle must apply to assertions of existence, which will also be about concepts and not things.
Related Idea
Idea 18767
Free logics has terms that do not designate real things, and even empty domains [Anderson,CA]
The
17 ideas
with the same theme
[status of 'objects' that can't actually exist]:
10945
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Some philosophers say that in some qualified way non-existent things 'are'
[Aristotle]
|
7756
|
Meinong said all objects of thought (even self-contradictions) have some sort of being
[Meinong, by Lycan]
|
15781
|
The objects of knowledge are far more numerous than objects which exist
[Meinong]
|
21531
|
Common sense agrees with Meinong (rather than Russell) that 'Pegasus is a flying horse' is true
[Lackey on Russell]
|
21545
|
I prefer to deny round squares, and deal with the difficulties by the theory of denoting
[Russell]
|
21547
|
On Meinong's principles 'the existent round square' has to exist
[Russell]
|
18777
|
If the King of France is not bald, and not not-bald, this violates excluded middle
[Linsky,B on Russell]
|
15783
|
Definite descriptions can't unambiguously pick out an object which doesn't exist
[Lycan on Quine]
|
16435
|
Plantinga proposes necessary existent essences as surrogates for the nonexistent things
[Plantinga, by Stalnaker]
|
18948
|
There is an object for every set of properties (some of which exist, and others don't)
[Parsons,T, by Sawyer]
|
14617
|
Predicates can't apply to what doesn't exist
[Stalnaker]
|
15792
|
Maybe non-existent objects are sets of properties
[Lycan]
|
18852
|
A Meinongian principle might say that there is an object for any modest class of properties
[Rosen]
|
14392
|
Fregeans say 'hobbits do not exist' is just 'being a hobbit' is not exemplified
[Merricks]
|
12448
|
Things that don't exist don't have any properties
[Azzouni]
|
18766
|
's is non-existent' cannot be said if 's' does not designate
[Anderson,CA]
|
18768
|
We cannot pick out a thing and deny its existence, but we can say a concept doesn't correspond
[Anderson,CA]
|