Rethinking the Modal Argument against Nominal Description Theory

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Authors

RACLAVSKÝ Jiří

Year of publication 2008
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Contributions of the Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
Field Philosophy and religion
Keywords modal argument; nominal description theory; singular terms
Description According to the Nominal description theory (NDT), the meaning of a proper name is identical with the meaning of the so-called nominal description. Kripke-like argumentation against NDT by means of modal argument can be doubted because names are introduced by means of a contingent baptizing act. I suggest refinements of the modal argument which filter out such objection. I distinguish two kinds of nominal descriptions: rigid and non-rigid; thus there arise two versions of modal argument, which both are valid. But one of them has a conclusion (targeted against NDT) the truth of which remains disputable. The reformulation of Kripke's thesis I suggest is thus needed.
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