¿Descripciones definidas referenciales?

This paper questions the claim that definite descriptions have a referential semantics. Two possible definitions of “referential meaning” are discussed, and it is argued that definite descriptions are not referential according to either one. Devitt’s (2004, 2007) recent account of descriptions’ refe...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Pierre Baumann
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte 2011-06-01
Series:Princípios
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.periodicos.ufrn.br/ojs/index.php/principios/article/viewFile/1400/1072
Description
Summary:This paper questions the claim that definite descriptions have a referential semantics. Two possible definitions of “referential meaning” are discussed, and it is argued that definite descriptions are not referential according to either one. Devitt’s (2004, 2007) recent account of descriptions’ referential meaning is also briefly examined, and some problems with it are pointed out. It is suggested (though not shown) that the troubles with specifying exactly in what sense definite descriptions are referential point to the incoherence of the very notion of semantic reference and support instead a pragmatic understanding of reference.
ISSN:0104-8694
1983-2109