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Single Idea 3207

[from 'Contemporary Philosophy of Mind' by Georges Rey, in 18. Thought / C. Content / 6. Broad Content ]

Full Idea

The oldest version of the externalist theory of meaning is the Fido/Fido theory, according to which the meaning of a representation is the object for which it stands.

Gist of Idea

Simple externalism is that the meaning just is the object

Source

Georges Rey (Contemporary Philosophy of Mind [1997], 9.2)

Book Reference

Rey,Georges: 'Contemporary Philosophy of Mind' [Blackwell 1997], p.241


A Reaction

Modern baptismal theories of reference seem to have taken us back to this, for distinct individuals such as Aristotle, or natural kinds like gold. What, though, does 'Fido' mean to me? Asthma!