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Direct Reference and Singular Propositions Author(S): Matthew Davidson and Mathew Davidson Source: American Philosophical Quarterly, Vol North American Philosophical Publications Direct Reference and Singular Propositions Author(s): Matthew Davidson and Mathew Davidson Source: American Philosophical Quarterly, Vol. 37, No. 3 (Jul., 2000), pp. 285-300 Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of the North American Philosophical Publications Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20010004 Accessed: 13-07-2018 18:20 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms University of Illinois Press, North American Philosophical Publications are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to American Philosophical Quarterly This content downloaded from 139.182.75.138 on Fri, 13 Jul 2018 18:20:46 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms American Philosophical Quarterly Volume 37, Number 3, July 2000 DIRECT REFERENCE AND SINGULAR PROPOSITIONS Matthew Davidson I Let's begin by examining the link between a direct reference view of singular terms and K-propositions. For many "New Theorists," .lVAost direct reference theorists about the connection seems so obvious that they indexicals and proper names have adopted don't even pause to highlight how one might the thesis that singular propositions are get from a direct reference view to the exist? composed of physical objects and proper? ence of K-propositions. For instance, in the ties.1 There have been a number of recent preface to "Demonstratives" David Kaplan proponents of such a view, including Scott says, "If there are such terms [directly refer? Soames, Nathan Salmon, John Perry, ring terms], then the proposition expressed Howard Wettstein, and David Kaplan.2 by a sentence containing such a term would Since Kaplan is the individual who (at least involve individuals directly rather than by recently) is best known for holding such way a of the "individual concepts" or "man? view, let's call a proposition that is com? ners of presentation" I had been taught to posed of objects and properties aexpect."4 In "Naming Without Necessity," K-proposition. In this paper, I will attempt Joseph Almog takes the existence of K to show that (given some fairly plausible propositions to be part of the Millian thesis.5 assumptions) a direct reference view about However, the link between direct refer? the content of proper names and indexicals ence and K-propositions can be spelled out leads very naturally to the position that all fairly clearly. A direct reference view of singular propositions are K-propositions.3 the content of proper names and indexicals Then, I will attempt to show that this view claims that the entire semantic content of of propositions is false. I will spend the one of these singular terms is its referent. bulk of the paper on this latter task. My So, the content of the term "Locke" in the goal in the paper, then, is to show that adopt? following sentence ing the direct reference thesis comes at a cost (1) Locke is a philosopher. (or for those who thought it already came at a cost because of [alleged] problems the view simply is the man Locke himself. So, un? has with problems such as opacity and the like the traditional Fregean view, there is significance of some identity statements; itno entity (a sense or property) that "in? comes at even more of a cost). tervenes" between the term "Locke" and 285 This content downloaded from 139.182.75.138 on Fri, 13 Jul 2018 18:20:46 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 286 / AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY the man Locke that plays any role in con? the proposition expressed by a sentence stituting the content of the term "Locke." with a proper name or indexical for a sub? The content of "Locke" is the referent ject term (as in [1]) will have the referent of the term.6,7 of the subject term as a component part. Typically, philosophers distinguish be? Typically, it is thought that the content of tween a particular sentence token and the the predicate of a sentence is a property.10 content the sentence expresses. The latter In (1), it would be the property being a often is taken to be a proposition, whereas philosopher. Given this fact, our previous the former is some sort of physical entity? assumptions, and a direct reference theory e.g. a verbal utterance or marks on a page. about the content of the term "Locke," the There are, of course, many good reasons proposition expressed by (1) will be com? (which I won't go into here) for distin? posed of the man Locke and the property guishing between a sentence qua marks on being a philosopher. The sentences that a page and what a sentence means or says. express singular propositions all have di? Furthermore, often it is thought that the rectly referring subject terms according proposition a sentence expresses is a func? to the direct reference theorist, so each tion of the contents of the sentence's of these sentences, like (1) (call them component parts.8 Call this claim "singular sentences"), will express a K "compositionality." For example, in (1), proposition. "Locke" has a certain content, and "is a Note that it doesn't follow from this that philosopher" has a certain content; and the all singular propositions are K-proposi? proposition expressed by (1) is determined tions. Perhaps there are some singular by the contents of these two component propositions not expressible in English that parts plus relations that hold between the aren't. However, many direct reference contents.9 One way of accounting for this, theorists do move from the claim that all many think, is that there is some sort of singular propositions expressible in En? structural isomorphism between sentences glish are K-propositions to the claim that and the propositions they express. Just as all singular propositions are K-proposi? sentences are built up out of more primi? tions. This inference is quite natural, and tive parts (e.g., a subject and a predicate), also quite reasonable: What is it about En? propositions are "built up" out of more glish that would keep us from expressing primitive entities: the semantic contents of these other types of singular propositions? the individual parts of the sentences that Let's call the view that all singular propo? express them. These assumptions are quite sitions are K-propositions the K-thesis.n widely held, at least by those who take propo? Now that we've seen why it's no acci? sitions to be structured entities, rather than dent that many New Theorists claim that simple abstract objects or sets of worlds. singular propositions are K-propositions, Now we can see the relationship between let's examine the plausibility of the notion a direct reference theory of proper names of K-propositions. Are there reasons to re? and indexicals and K-propositions. The ject these sorts of entities? Arguably there direct reference theorist holds that the are. One puzzle that immediately comes to content of one of these singular terms is mind has to do with the nature of a K the term's referent. So, if the proposition ex? proposition. How can a proposition, which pressed by a sentence is built up from the is supposed to be an abstract entity, have a contents of the sentence's component parts, physical object as a constituent? Indeed, This content downloaded from 139.182.75.138 on Fri, 13 Jul 2018 18:20:46 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms DIRECT REFRENCE AND SINGULAR PROPOSITIONS / 287 what exactly is it to say that Locke him? for a physical object to be a member of a self is a constituent of the proposition set; however, I find the notion of an expressed by (l)?12 It's not that the rela? object's being a constituent of a proposi? tionship of constituenthood per se is tion downright mysterious. But, clearly unclear. We can see how the proposition there are many who disagree with me on expressed by (1) would have being a phi? this (and who seem to have no problem losopher as a constituent, rather than, say, with the notion of physical object being a being a grape. But, it's really difficult to constituent of a proposition). see what this constituent relationship However, even if one doesn't find the amounts to when we're talking about notion of a proposition having a physical Locke himself and the proposition ex? object as a constituent problematic, K pressed by (1). Propositions are the objects propositions face other serious difficulties. of our propositional attitudes. But, how can These objections center on the fact that a I believe in Locke and a property? How K-proposition about a contingently exist? can I entertain (in a non-festive sense) ing object itself exists contingently. It Locke and a property? The notion hardly seems plausible to say that a proposition seems to make sense. has its constituents essentially. For ex? However, perhaps we can make some sense ample, the proposition expressed by (1) of what it is for Locke to be a constituent of essentially has Locke as a constituent. the proposition expressed by (1). We can note However, this seems to entail (as we noted that it entails the counterfactual, If Locke earlier), that if Locke hadn't existed, nei? didn 't exist, the proposition expressed by (I) ther would the singular proposition wouldn 't exist.
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