Talk by Mark Textor: The Fregean theory of hybrid proper names extended (July 10th, 2013)

The DCLPS is pleased to announce a talk by Mark Textor (King's College, London) on “The Fregean theory of hybrid proper names extended”.
Mark Textor is invited under the joint auspices of the DCLPS and the SFB991 Colloquium

Date: November 7, 2013

Place: 22.01 Hörsaal 2C

Frege writes about complex demonstratives: A concept word combined with the demonstrative pronoun or definite article often has in this way the logical value of a proper name in that it serves to designate a single determinate object. But then it is not the concept word alone, but the whole consisting of the concept word together with the demonstrative pronoun and accompanying circumstances which has to be understood as a proper name. (Frege, Posthumous Writings, 213 [Nachgelassene Schriften, 230].)

Hence, the bearer of sense and reference in the case of demonstratives is something which combines verbal and non-verbal signs: the accompanying circumstances are unrecognised piece of language (Kripke). In previous work I have defended this view of demonstratives. In this talk I will argue that the basic idea can be extended to indexicals like 'I' and 'now'. I will argue, for example, that an utterance of the first-person pronoun contains verbal and non-verbal signs and show that this view is superior to the alternatives developed by Kripke and Kuenne.