If descriptions had meaning only in propositional context as Russell insists, substitution of co-denoting terms would preserve all semantic value, yet such substitutions demonstrably alter informational and cognitive content.
?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
No one has weighed in yet. Be the first to share reasons for or against this statement.
Sign in or register to share your perspective on this statement.
Different words or phrases that point to or refer to the same thing—like how 'the morning star' and 'the evening star' both refer to the planet Venus.
cognitive content(Humean empiricist semantics)
The meaningful idea annexed to a term, which must ultimately be traceable to original impressions.
descriptions(how ordinary people understand what proper names refer to)
Phrases that pick out a person or thing by listing their qualities—like 'the tallest building in the world' instead of just saying 'Burj Khalifa.'
semantic value(A term lacking semantic value renders sentences containing it proposition-less)
The contribution a term makes to the proposition expressed by a sentence containing it; absent when the term fails to refer to any real property or kind
substitution(Central figure in Otherwise than Being for the ethical structure of subjectivity; OBBE: 113–124)
A passive mode of selfhood in which the self is displaced or burdened by the other — carrying what it cannot identify as properly its own.