Full Idea
What the existential quantifier does is indicate the quantity of things in question - it says that some are; it is left up to the predicate 'exists' to express existence.
Gist of Idea
Existential quantifiers just express the quantity of things, leaving existence to the predicate 'exists'
Source
Colin McGinn (Logical Properties [2000], Ch.2)
Book Reference
McGinn,Colin: 'Logical Properties' [OUP 2003], p.32
A Reaction
This seems right. The whole quantification business seems like a conjuring trick to conceal the embarrassingly indefinable and 'metaphysical' notion of 'existence'. Cf Idea 7697.
Related Idea
Idea 7697 On Russell's analysis, the sentence "The winged horse has wings" comes out as false [Jacquette]