If rigidity is a semantic feature of the entire class of proper names rather than select tokens, then the reduplication argument instantiates a general principle about singular thought, not merely a boundary case.

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Reasons For

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Reason for

1.Rigidity is a universal feature of proper names across all linguistic contexts, not dependent on individual token use.
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2.If rigidity is universal to the class, reduplication reveals how singular thought fundamentally requires direct reference.
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3.General principles about singular thought should apply systematically, not merely to edge cases or boundary conditions.
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Reasons Against

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Reason against

1.Some proper names exhibit non-rigid behavior in counterfactual or fictional contexts, suggesting rigidity is token-dependent.
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2.Reduplication may be a pragmatic or cognitive phenomenon distinct from semantic features of the entire name class.
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3.Generalization from class-level features to universal principles about singular thought requires additional justification.
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Key Terms

Semantic feature(describing what 'tolerance' is in language): A characteristic or quality related to what words mean and how we understand them.
Singular thought(the main concept being defined): A thought that is about one specific thing or person (like thinking about your friend Maria) rather than a general category (like thinking about friendship in general).
boundary case(as used in logic and philosophy generally): An unusual or extreme example that sits at the edge of how we normally apply a rule or concept, rather than a typical, straightforward example.
proper names(as the type of words Frege's theory addresses): Words that refer to specific individual things, like 'Socrates' or 'Paris'—as opposed to general words like 'man' or 'city' that could apply to many things.
reduplication argument(Used to motivate the existence of singular propositions): An argument that appeals to cases where two qualitatively identical individuals (e.g., Bill and Bill*) differ as objects of thought, to establish that reference must be direct and not purely descriptive.
rigidity(Philosophy of language, discussed in relation to descriptivism about semantic content): A property of linguistic expressions (typically names or designators) relevant to theories of semantic content; often associated with designating the same object in all possible worlds
tokens(Curry's formal systems terminology): Curry's term for the primitives of his formal systems, noted as misleading by the author

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Philosophy of Language1 linked

General principles about singular thought should apply systematically, not merel...Generalization from class-level features to universal principles about singular ...If rigidity is universal to the class, reduplication reveals how singular though...Reduplication may be a pragmatic or cognitive phenomenon distinct from semantic ...

Details

Type: claim
Perspectives: 2 (1 for, 1 against)
Edits: 1 edit