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    Carmelics

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

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    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
    Topics
    42
    Home/Original/inverse
    See Original
    Inverse View

    It is not the case that Singular terms that fail to refer to existing objects fail to express genuine propositions, yielding only apparent statements (Russell, 'On Denoting').

    ?Set your confidence on the premises below to see your aggregate.

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
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    • 1.We successfully understand and discuss fictional entities; denying this requires counterintuitive rejection of our actual cognitive practices.
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    • 2.Russell's theory cannot account for negative existentials like 'Pegasus does not exist'—which seem genuinely true and propositional.
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    • 3.Frege's sense-reference distinction shows non-referring terms can express complete thoughts with cognitive content, contra Russell.
      ?

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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.Meaningful statements require determinate truth-conditions; non-referring terms cannot provide these, making truth-evaluation impossible.
      ?

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    • 2.The law of excluded middle demands every proposition is true or false; statements about non-existent objects violate this principle.
      ?

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    • 3.Russell's theory of descriptions successfully eliminates paradoxes (e.g., 'the present King of France') by analyzing them as quantified claims.
      ?

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