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Ideas for 'Parmenides', 'Db (ideas)' and 'On Denoting'

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2 ideas

5. Theory of Logic / E. Structures of Logic / 1. Logical Form

7758	'Elizabeth = Queen of England' is really a predication, not an identity-statement [Russell, by Lycan]
	Full Idea: On Russell's view 'Elizabeth II = Queen of England' is only superficially an identity-statement; really it is a predication, and attributes a complex relational property to Elizabeth.
	From: report of Bertrand Russell (On Denoting [1905]) by William Lycan - Philosophy of Language Ch.1
	A reaction: The original example is 'Scott = author of Waverley'. Why can't such statements be identities, in which the reference of one half of the identity is not yet known? 'The murderer is violent' and 'Smith is violent' suggests 'Smith is the murderer'.

5. Theory of Logic / E. Structures of Logic / 4. Variables in Logic

5772	The idea of a variable is fundamental [Russell]
	Full Idea: I take the notion of the variable as fundamental.
	From: Bertrand Russell (On Denoting [1905], p.42)
	A reaction: A key idea of twentieth century philosophy, derived from Frege and handed on to Quine. A universal term, such as 'horse', is a variable, for which any particular horse can be its value. You can calculate using x, and generalise about horses.