Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Commentary on 'De Anima'', 'Rechnungsmethoden (dissertation)' and 'On the Nature of Acquaintance'

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4 ideas

5. Theory of Logic / F. Referring in Logic / 1. Naming / c. Names as referential

6410	The only real proper names are 'this' and 'that'; the rest are really definite descriptions. [Russell, by Grayling]
	Full Idea: Russell argued that the only 'logically proper' names are those which denote particular entities with which one can be acquainted. The best examples are 'this' and 'that'; other apparent names turn out, when analysed, to be definite descriptions.
	From: report of Bertrand Russell (On the Nature of Acquaintance [1914]) by A.C. Grayling - Russell Ch.2
	A reaction: This view is firm countered by the causal theory of reference, proposed by Kripke and others, in which not only people like Aristotle are 'baptised' with a name, but also natural kinds such as water. It is hard to disagree with Kripke on this.

6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / c. Priority of numbers

18256	Quantity is inconceivable without the idea of addition [Frege]
	Full Idea: There is so intimate a connection between the concepts of addition and of quantity that one cannot begin to grasp the latter without the former.
	From: Gottlob Frege (Rechnungsmethoden (dissertation) [1874], p.2), quoted by Michael Dummett - Frege philosophy of mathematics 22 'Quantit'
	A reaction: Frege offers good reasons for making cardinals prior to ordinals, though plenty of people disagree.

6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 2. Intuition of Mathematics

9831	Geometry appeals to intuition as the source of its axioms [Frege]
	Full Idea: The elements of all geometrical constructions are intuitions, and geometry appeals to intuition as the source of its axioms.
	From: Gottlob Frege (Rechnungsmethoden (dissertation) [1874], Ch.6), quoted by Michael Dummett - Frege philosophy of mathematics
	A reaction: Very early Frege, but he stuck to this view, while firmly rejecting intuition as a source of arithmetic. Frege would have known well that Euclid's assumption about parallels had been challenged.

22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / e. Death

16764	The soul conserves the body, as we see by its dissolution when the soul leaves [Toletus]
	Full Idea: Every accident of a living thing, as well as all its organs and temperaments and its dispositions are conserved by the soul. We see this from experience, since when that soul recedes, all these dissolve and become corrupted.
	From: Franciscus Toletus (Commentary on 'De Anima' [1572], II.1.1), quoted by Robert Pasnau - Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 24.5
	A reaction: A nice example of observing a phenemonon, but not being able to observe the dependence relation the right way round. Compare Descartes in Idea 16763.