Quote: although x=x is always true for names, it is not always true for definite descriptions; e.g., 'the present King of France'

Quotation

If "x" is a name, "x=x" is not the same proposition as "the author of Waverly is the author of Waverly," no matter what name "x" may be. ... When we substitute a [definite] description for a name, propositional functions which are "always true" may become false, if the description describes nothing [e.g., 'the present King of France'].   Google-1   Google-2

Published before 1923

Related Topics

Topic: meaning without reference (31 items)
Topic: problems with analytic truth (20 items)