Category: Haecceity
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Singular Concepts and Singular Negative Existentials
A re-post from 15 May 2012. Reproduced verbatim. …………………………………. London Ed seems to be suggesting that we need irreducibly singular concepts (properties, propositional functions) if we are properly to analyze grammatically singular negative existence statements such as 1. Vulcan does not exist. But why do we need to take 'Vulcan' to express a singular concept or haecceity…
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Singular Concepts Again
Ed writes, Your counter-arguments are very useful but I find some of them puzzling. One argument that repeatedly occurs is that a concept cannot contain the object that it is a concept of. Our concept of Venus (if we have one) cannot contain Venus, for example. My difficulty is that I agree with this argument,…
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A Proof of Individual Concepts?
This just in from Edward: Proof that singular concepts (aka individual concepts) exist. 1. Common terms (‘cat’) and singular terms (‘this cat’, ‘Max’) exist. 2. These terms are meaningful, i.e. their meanings exist. 3. A concept is the meaning of a term. 4. Thus (from 1,2, 3) singular concepts, aka singular meanings, exist. QED This…
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Intentionality, Singularity, and Individual Concepts
Herewith, some notes on R. M. Sainsbury, Intentionality without Exotica. (Exotica are those items that are "nonexistent, nonconcrete, or nonactual." (303) Examples include Superman and Arcadia.) 'Jack wants a sloop' could mean three different things. (a) There is a particular sloop Jack wants. In this case, Jack's desire is externally singular. Desire is an object-directed…