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Single Idea 9041
[filed under theme 5. Theory of Logic / F. Referring in Logic / 1. Naming / c. Names as referential
]
Full Idea
Change of denotation is decisive against the Causal Theory of Names. Changes of denotation actually occur: a hearsay report misunderstood by Marco Polo transferred the name 'Madagascar' from a portion of the mainland to the African island.
Gist of Idea
The Causal Theory of Names is wrong, since the name 'Madagascar' actually changed denotation
Source
Gareth Evans (The Causal Theory of Names [1973], §I)
Book Ref
Evans,Gareth: 'Collected Papers' [OUP 1985], p.11
A Reaction
This doesn't sound decisive, as you could give an intermediate causal account of Marco Polo's mistake. I might take the famous name Winston, and baptise my son with it. And I might have done it because I thought Winston was a German dictator.
Related Idea
Idea 13790
A name-giver might misname something, then force other names to conform to it [Plato]
The
23 ideas
from Gareth Evans
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9041
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The Causal Theory of Names is wrong, since the name 'Madagascar' actually changed denotation
[Evans]
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9038
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We must distinguish what the speaker denotes by a name, from what the name denotes
[Evans]
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5823
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The intended referent of a name needs to be the cause of the speaker's information about it
[Evans]
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9039
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If descriptions are sufficient for reference, then I must accept a false reference if the descriptions fit
[Evans]
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9040
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Charity should minimize inexplicable error, rather than maximising true beliefs
[Evans]
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9043
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We use expressions 'deferentially', to conform to the use of other people
[Evans]
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5824
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How can an expression be a name, if names can change their denotation?
[Evans]
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9042
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A private intention won't give a name a denotation; the practice needs it to be made public
[Evans]
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5825
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Speakers intend to refer to items that are the source of their information
[Evans]
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7639
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The Homunculus Fallacy explains a subject perceiving objects by repeating the problem internally
[Evans]
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14895
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'Superficial' contingency: false in some world; 'Deep' contingency: no obvious verification
[Evans, by Macià/Garcia-Carpentiro]
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11881
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Rigid designators can be meaningful even if empty
[Evans, by Mackie,P]
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16129
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Evans argues (falsely!) that a contradiction follows from treating objects as vague
[Evans, by Lowe]
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16459
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Is it coherent that reality is vague, identities can be vague, and objects can have fuzzy boundaries?
[Evans]
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16460
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Evans assumes there can be vague identity statements, and that his proof cannot be right
[Evans, by Lewis]
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16457
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There clearly are vague identity statements, and Evans's argument has a false conclusion
[Evans, by Lewis]
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14484
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If a=b is indeterminate, then a=/=b, and so there cannot be indeterminate identity
[Evans, by Thomasson]
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16224
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There can't be vague identity; a and b must differ, since a, unlike b, is only vaguely the same as b
[Evans, by PG]
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12580
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Experiences have no conceptual content
[Evans, by Greco]
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23794
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Some representational states, like perception, may be nonconceptual
[Evans, by Schulte]
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12575
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Concepts have a 'Generality Constraint', that we must know how predicates apply to them
[Evans, by Peacocke]
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7643
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We have far fewer colour concepts than we have discriminations of colour
[Evans]
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16366
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The Generality Constraint says if you can think a predicate you can apply it to anything
[Evans]
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