[SydPhil] History and Philosophy of Linguistics Reading Group

[simonvarey at gmail.com]

Next meeting:

Tuesday, 14 October, 5.00-6.30pm, Woolley S361

Reading:

Carnap, Rudolf (1947) "The Method of Intension" in Meaning and Necessity

Abstract:

"Carnap attempts to develop a new method for analyzing the meanings of linguistic expressions as well as to lay a semantic foundation for modal logic. Carnap maintains that his new method consists in doing away with the traditional assumption that linguistic expressions name concrete or abstract entities and in replacing it with the ascription to them of intensions and extensions. He states that linguistic expressions designate their intensions and extensions: every designation refers to both an intension and an extension.
The intensional entities to which individual constants or descriptions, predicates, and declarative sentences are respectively said to refer are individual concepts, properties and propositions, the corresponding extensions being individuals, classes and truth-values. Carnap insists that intensions, including individual concepts, are objectively real, not mental concepts. However, he rejects the charge of hypostatization: individual concepts and properties and propositions must not be considered as things, but this does not prevent them from being genuine objective entities." (Wikipedia)

Reading available from:

http://hplinguistics.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/86461972/Carnap%2C%20Rudolp%20%27Meaning%20and%20Necessity%27%20%282nd%20ed%29%28original%29.pdf

Enquiries: james.mcelvenny at gmail.com

All welcome!


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