Definite descriptions and negative existential quantifiers

Previous theorists have claimed that Russell’s theory of definite descriptions gives the wrong truth conditions to sentences in which definite descriptions are embedded under certain other operators; but the other operators used, such as conditionals and propositional attitude verbs, have introduced...

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Main Author: Elbourne, P
Format: Journal article
Published: Springer Netherlands 2017
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author Elbourne, P
author_facet Elbourne, P
author_sort Elbourne, P
collection OXFORD
description Previous theorists have claimed that Russell’s theory of definite descriptions gives the wrong truth conditions to sentences in which definite descriptions are embedded under certain other operators; but the other operators used, such as conditionals and propositional attitude verbs, have introduced intensional and hyperintensional complications that might be thought to obscure the point against Russell. This paper shows that the same kind of problem arises when the operator in question (English ‘no’) allows the context to be extensional. It is further argued that presuppositional theories of definite descriptions give intuitively satisfying analyses of the novel data.
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spelling oxford-uuid:ebda5982-af7a-4fa9-a274-321a6add571e2022-03-27T11:13:05ZDefinite descriptions and negative existential quantifiersJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:ebda5982-af7a-4fa9-a274-321a6add571eSymplectic Elements at OxfordSpringer Netherlands2017Elbourne, PPrevious theorists have claimed that Russell’s theory of definite descriptions gives the wrong truth conditions to sentences in which definite descriptions are embedded under certain other operators; but the other operators used, such as conditionals and propositional attitude verbs, have introduced intensional and hyperintensional complications that might be thought to obscure the point against Russell. This paper shows that the same kind of problem arises when the operator in question (English ‘no’) allows the context to be extensional. It is further argued that presuppositional theories of definite descriptions give intuitively satisfying analyses of the novel data.
spellingShingle Elbourne, P
Definite descriptions and negative existential quantifiers
title Definite descriptions and negative existential quantifiers
title_full Definite descriptions and negative existential quantifiers
title_fullStr Definite descriptions and negative existential quantifiers
title_full_unstemmed Definite descriptions and negative existential quantifiers
title_short Definite descriptions and negative existential quantifiers
title_sort definite descriptions and negative existential quantifiers
work_keys_str_mv AT elbournep definitedescriptionsandnegativeexistentialquantifiers