Skip to content

Topics Thinkers Changes ContributorsLoading account…

Carmelics

A reasoning platform. Break down any belief into clear reasons, explore both sides, and weigh the evidence honestly.

Navigate

Topics
Search
Recent Changes
Contribute
How It Works
Glossary
Thinkers
Contributors
About
Statistics
Terms
Privacy

Database

Statements: —
Perspectives: —
Topics: —

Press ? for keyboard shortcuts

Made within

DC&

Austin

Reference alone does not explain the contribution that ex... — Carmelics

Statements: 321,452
Perspectives: 108,905
Topics: 42

Home/Philosophy of Language

History Edit See Inverse

Reference alone does not explain the contribution that expressions make to the determination of the truth-value of all sentences in which they occur.

Philosophy of Language

?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.

2 reasons for

1 reason against

Reasons For

2 perspectives

Reason for 1 of 2

?

1.Frege's puzzle demonstrates that 'Hesperus is Hesperus' and 'Hesperus is Phosphorus' differ in cognitive significance despite identical referents.
?
Think about whether this reason is strong or weak
2.Cognitive significance constitutes a dimension of semantic contribution irreducible to reference, as competent speakers can know one truth without knowing the other.
?
Think about whether this reason is strong or weak
3.A complete theory of how expressions contribute to truth-conditions must account for cognitive significance, which reference alone systematically fails to capture.
?
Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

Reason for 2 of 2

?

1.Propositional attitude contexts like 'believes that' create intensional environments where truth-value is sensitive to the mode of presentation of a referent, not merely the referent itself.
?
Think about whether this reason is strong or weak
2.Kripke's Pierre puzzle shows that a single individual can rationally hold contradictory beliefs about one object under different names, proving semantic content exceeds bare reference.
?
Think about whether this reason is strong or weak
3.Therefore, expressions contribute structured senses or modes of presentation—not just referents—to determine truth-values in the full range of natural language sentences.
?
Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

Reasons Against

1 perspective

Reason against

?

1.Sentences (7) and (8) contain expressions with the same reference but can differ in truth-value.
?
Think about whether this reason is strong or weak
2.If reference fully determined the truth-value contribution of expressions, co-referential expressions would be intersubstitutable in all sentences without change in truth-value.
?
Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

Sign in or register to share your perspective on this statement.

Next step

Based on where you are in your exploration

Strongest counterpoint

Explore the most compelling reason on the other side.

Topics

Philosophy of Language

Connections

1 topic

Truth & Knowledge1 linked

Related

A complete theory of how expressions contribute to truth-conditions must account...Cognitive significance constitutes a dimension of semantic contribution irreduci...Frege's puzzle demonstrates that 'Hesperus is Hesperus' and 'Hesperus is Phospho...If reference fully determined the truth-value contribution of expressions, co-re...

+4 moreShow less

Kripke's Pierre puzzle shows that a single individual can rationally hold contra...Propositional attitude contexts like 'believes that' create intensional environm...Sentences (7) and (8) contain expressions with the same reference but can differ...Therefore, expressions contribute structured senses or modes of presentation—not...

Similar

If reference fully determined the truth-value contribution of expressi...82%Subsentential expressions stand in representational relations to seman...82%For any pair of expressions that differ in reference, there exists som...80%Sentence meaning does not simply combine with facts to determine truth...80%

Source

AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid

View source passageHide passage

(7) and (8) differ only with respect to the italic expressions and, as we noted above, these expressions have the same reference. Despite this, it seems clear that (7) and (8) could differ in truth-value: someone could know that all cordates have a heart without having any opinion on the question of whether all cordates have a kidney. But that means that the references of expressions don’t even do the job for which they were introduced: they don’t explain the contribution that expressions make t

Extraction notes

Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

Details

Type: claim
Perspectives: 3 (2 for, 1 against)
Edits: 1 edit