PHI 332: Fourth Paper

Spring 2003

Kaplan defines the notion: name a represents object x to speaker s on page 385 (in Martinich) of his paper "Quantifying In".

Could Kripke's puzzle about Pierre arise if the names 'London' and 'Londre' each "represented" (in Kaplan's sense) the city London to Pierre? In other words, do both of these names represent the city London to Pierre as Kripke describes him; and if not, could we fill in further details of the story, while preserving those aspects which lead to the puzzle, in such a way that those names would each represent the city to Pierre?

What bearing does your answer have on Kaplan's analysis of "relational" belief (as formally represented, for example, by his sentence (44))?
Explain as clearly as possible and in your own words why Perry thinks that appeal to relativized propositions will not solve the problem of the essential indexical. (Be sure to say here what the problem of the essential indexical is, and what would count as "solving" it. (Who or what is the problem a problem for?))

Do you agree with his reasons? If so, why? If not, why not? Do you think that relativized propositions might help in some cases but not others?

You may wish to (but don't at all have to) consult Perry's (1977) article "Frege on Demonstratives" in the journal Philosophical Review volume 86 (1977). You can find this paper online if you connect through a Cornell web server. (Ithaca College may also subscribe to this service, called "JSTOR" (at www.jstor.org ), but I'm not sure.)

Always provide specific page references for passages you discuss.

Your paper should be 1300--1700 words long (not including long quotes from the texts---which, if they occur, should be singlespaced and set off from the main body of the paper with indentation). The paper should be double-spaced, with ample margins (1 inch on top and bottom; 1.25 inches on left and right), ample font size (at least 11pt), and page numbers.
Your goal should be to demonstrate a solid understanding of the material; an ability to present problems, arguments and theories clearly and succintly; and a solidifying understanding of how philosophical theories and arguments are evaluated.
You must avoid plagiarism at all cost. So always err on the safe side by putting things in your own words whenever possible (straightforward paraphrase does not suffice!!!!!), and putting things that aren't your own words in quotes, "like this," with texts and page numbers cited where appropriate, and giving proper attribution when presenting someone else's ideas.

This page created by Delia Graff
URL: http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/research/graff/phil332/paper4.html
Last modified: "Sunday, 01 Jan 06, 13:56"