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Full Idea
A name must represent some uniformity in experience or it names nothing.
Gist of Idea
Names represent a uniformity in experience, or they name nothing
Source
C.I. Lewis (A Pragmatic Conception of the A Priori [1923], p.368)
Book Ref
Peirce,James,Dewey etc: 'Pragmatism - The Classic Writings', ed/tr. Thayer,H.S. [Hackett 1982], p.368
A Reaction
I like this because, in the quintessentially linguistic debate about the exact logical role of names, it reminds us that names arise because of the way reality is; they are not sui generis private games for logicians.
9357 | Excluded middle is just our preference for a simplified dichotomy in experience [Lewis,CI] |
9358 | There are several logics, none of which will ever derive falsehoods from truth [Lewis,CI] |
9361 | We have to separate the mathematical from physical phenomena by abstraction [Lewis,CI] |
9362 | Necessary truths are those we will maintain no matter what [Lewis,CI] |
9364 | Names represent a uniformity in experience, or they name nothing [Lewis,CI] |
9363 | Science seeks classification which will discover laws, essences, and predictions [Lewis,CI] |
9365 | We can maintain a priori principles come what may, but we can also change them [Lewis,CI] |