タイトル（掲載誌）Proceedings of the CEReS international symposium = CEReS国際シンポジウム資料集
一般注記出版タイプ： VoR
type:text
[ABSTRACT]A descriptive name is a name whose reference is exclusively fixed by a definite description. In using a descriptive name, we have a descriptive thought that contains, as its component, the general concept expressed by the name’s reference-fixing description. However, I believe that in using a descriptive name, we sometimes have a singular thought, or a thought that does not comprise such a general concept but in fact comprises the name’s referent itself. To support my view I will first survey two prominent theories on this issue―Acquaintance Theory and Semantic Instrumentalism. Acquaintance Theory claims that in order to have a singular thought, we must first have an acquaintance relation to the object in question. This means that in using a descriptive name, we can never have a singular thought about its referent. On the other hand, Semantic Instrumentalism maintains that by simply using a descriptive name, we can always have such a singular thought, regardless of whether the very referent exists or not. In my opinion, the former idea is wrong in taking an acquaintance relation itself as a necessary condition for our grasp of singular thoughts, and the latter idea is implausible in that it cannot offer any tenable grouping of singular thoughts. Considering this, I will argue that it is our possession of proper information that is really essential to our grasp of such a thought, and we inevitably rely on our linguistic and social activities to obtain the appropriate kind of information.
連携機関・データベース国立情報学研究所 : 学術機関リポジトリデータベース（IRDB）（機関リポジトリ）