Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Necessary Existents', 'Quantifiers and Propositional Attitudes' and 'Adverbial Theory'

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3 ideas

12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 4. Sense Data / b. Nature of sense-data
Are sense-data independent, with identity, substance and location? [Tye]
     Full Idea: Can sense-data exist unsensed? Can two persons experience numerically identical sense-data? Do sense-data have surfaces which are not sensed? What are sense-data made of? Are they located?
     From: Michael Tye (Adverbial Theory [1995], p.7)
19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 10. Denial of Meanings
Intensions are creatures of darkness which should be exorcised [Quine]
     Full Idea: Intensions are creatures of darkness and I shall rejoice with the reader when they are exorcised.
     From: Willard Quine (Quantifiers and Propositional Attitudes [1955], §II)
     A reaction: Quine seems to be in a diminshing minority with this view. For 'intensions' read 'meanings', presumably.
19. Language / D. Propositions / 3. Concrete Propositions
Propositions (such as 'that dog is barking') only exist if their items exist [Williamson]
     Full Idea: A proposition about an item exists only if that item exists... how could something be the proposition that that dog is barking in circumstances in which that dog does not exist?
     From: Timothy Williamson (Necessary Existents [2002], p.240), quoted by Trenton Merricks - Propositions
     A reaction: This is a view of propositions I can't make sense of. If I'm under an illusion that there is a dog barking nearby, when there isn't one, can I not say 'that dog is barking'? If I haven't expressed a proposition, what have I done?