Q&A: The Theory of Proper Names
The Theory of Proper Names
Question
A proper name (such as Moses, England, Aristotle), in my opinion, points to our instinctive relation to the object that was chosen to be given that name. That relation is basically a concept by which we identify that the person is indeed Moses, the country is England, etc. However, I saw a lecture (link below) that discusses the difference between the theory of Frege-Russell and that of Mill and Kripke. Is there something wrong with the proposal I suggested? Is what I wrote actually Kripke's view, and if not, what is the difference?
Kripke on the Descriptive Theory of Names – YouTube
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oXBlah06r5g&t=1434s
Answer
I didn’t understand the question. What did you write? Where? Write your proposal here and we can discuss it.
A name is not a concept, so I don’t understand what you are writing here. A name is a word, and the connection between it and the object is conventional. A name refers to the object itself (its essence), whereas descriptions refer to its characteristics (= its form). In my book Two Carts I discussed the difference between a name and a description (the two kinds of reference in Russell’s famous article).
Discussion on Answer
As far as I know, Kripke talks about “baptism,” meaning he is a conventionalist. In his view, the name refers to the bundle of properties, and there is nothing beyond them (essence). But this is a memory from many years ago. I’m not sure I’m right.
If people point to a dog and decide to call it “A,” then the way we perceive the dog’s “essence” when it is before us is what we mean when we use the name; that is the meaning of the name. (Some call this simply “essence,” but I prefer to relate to it as the way we instinctively and universally perceive the “essence,” for reasons that would lead us into a different discussion.) That is what I meant earlier; sorry if that was not clear.
What I wanted to ask is whether this view is correct. Is this Kripke’s view, and what is the difference between the view of Frege and Russell and that of Kripke?