Metaphysicians of Meaning: Frege and Russell

Metaphysicians of Meaningis the first book to challenge the accepted understanding of Russell'sOn Denotingand Frege'sOn Sense and Reference. Makin compares the work Russell did shortly before his famous essay "On Denoting" with the essay itself and argues that this comparison shows that the traditional view of the problem Russell was trying to solve is untenable. He then examines Frege's classic essay and argues that some of the less well-known views that Frege held have radical implications for our understanding of this essay.

Gideon Makin is Research Fellow at Wolfson College, University of Oxford.

List of abbreviations

ix

Introduction

1

(8)

PART I Russell

9

(70)

Russell's first theory of denoting

11

(11)

The elements

11

(2)

The mathematical context

13

(3)

Denoting, definition and identity

16

(1)

Three essential elements

17

(3)

Post-PoM developments

20

(2)

The collapse of the first theory and the discovery of the theory of descriptions

22

(30)

Introduction: the obscure passage in `On Denoting'

22

(2)

The argument: the `substantial' round

24

(9)

C2 is a different entity from C1

25

(1)

C1 cannot be a constituent of C2

26

(2)

`But this cannot be an explanation', I

28

(4)

The third charge

32

(1)

The argument: the `symbolic' round

33

(5)

The twin phenomena

34

(3)

Use and mention

37

(1)

`But this cannot be an explanation', II

38

(4)

The burden of proof

38

(1)

A survey of theoretical possibilities

38

(1)

C2 as a description of C1

39

(2)

Denoting and other logical relations

41

(1)

The transition

42

(3)

The discovery of the theory of descriptions

45

(7)

The place of `On Denoting' in Russell's development

52

(27)

`On Denoting' and Russell's ontological development: some preliminaries

53

(5)

Russell's case against Meinong

58

(3)

Russell's ontology in PoM reconsidered

61

(5)

Methodological developments: `every word must have some meaning'

66

(2)

Contextual definition

68

(1)

The notion of an incomplete symbol

69

(4)

The role of language

73

(3)

Some positive remarks

76

(3)

PART II Frege

79

(54)

From Begriffsschrift to sense and reference

81

(25)

Introduction

81

(1)

The problem

82

(8)

Frege's solution in Bs.

90

(4)

`Sinn und Bedeutung': the collapse of the first theory

94

(7)

`Sinn und Bedeutung': the new solution

101

(5)

Further considerations regarding sense and reference

106

(27)

The priority of the distinction for proper names

106

(3)

Sense and indirect speech

109

(3)

Sense as a route and empty senses

112

(5)

Sense determines reference, I: the question of relativization

117

(4)

Sense determines reference, II: the conceptual model

121

(6)

The application of Russell's argument in OD to Frege's distinction

127

(6)

PART III Russell and Frege

133

(70)

Russell and Frege compared

135

(44)

Introduction: the strategy

135

(2)

The PoM theory of denoting and the theory of sense and reference: some preliminaries

137

(2)

The common ground: propositionalism, sensism and the implied metaphysical model

139

(5)

The differences, and further similarities, in relation to the metaphysical model

144

(4)

An apparent gap in Frege's argument

148

(3)

Can all expressions have sense?

151

(4)

The taxonomic difference: a diagnosis of Frege's position

155

(2)

Frege's suppressed premise: are all names on a par?

157

(7)

The theory of descriptions versus sense and reference: an adjustment on the Russellian side

164

(5)

Frege's description operator and the theory of descriptions

169

(4)

The progression towards transparency

173

(6)

The Russell-Frege enterprise and natural language

179

(24)

Introduction

179

(1)

Ordinary names and logically proper names

180

(2)

What morals can we draw from illustration?

182

(5)

The revisionary nature of the Russell-Frege enterprise

187

(4)

Logic as metaphysics

191

(6)

The latency of the metaphysical facet

197

(2)

Concluding remarks: the nature of the enterprise

199

(4)

Appendix A

203

(3)

The text of the obscure passage from `On Denoting'

203

(3)

Appendix B

206

(2)

Russell's example in the latter half of paragraph (D) of the obscure passage

206

(2)

Appendix C

208

(15)

Some recent discussions of the obscure passage

208

(15)

I Searle, Blackburn and Code, and Hylton

208

(2)

II Pakaluk

210

(3)

III Kremer

213

(6)

IV Noonan

219

(4)

Bibliography

223

(4)

Index

227

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Metaphysicians of Meaning: Frege and Russell on Sense and Denotation

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