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Single Idea 21550

[filed under theme 19. Language / C. Assigning Meanings / 9. Indexical Semantics ]

Full Idea

It is of the essence of a scientific account of the world to reduce to a minimum the egocentric element in assertion, but success in this attempt is a matter of degree, and is never complete where empirical matter is concerned.

Gist of Idea

Science reduces indexicals to a minimum, but they can never be eliminated from empirical matters

Source

Bertrand Russell (Mr Strawson on Referring [1957], p.121)

Book Ref

Russell,Bertrand: 'Essays in Analysis', ed/tr. Lackey,Douglas [George Braziller 1973], p.121

A Reaction

He cites ostensive definitions. The key issue is whether they can be wholly eliminated when we try to be objective. Russell here endorses Perry's claim that they never go away. Personally I just think that (if so) we should try harder.

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]