1. The De Se

2. The Causal-Historical Theory
Let’s call that baby ‘Feynman’
Feynman
Feynman
Feynman
Feynman

3. The Causal-Historical Theory
Let’s call that baby ‘Feynman’
Feynman
Feynman
Feynman
Feynman
Historical Chain of Transmission

4. The Causal-Historical Theory
Feynman
Feynman
Feynman
Feynman
Denotation

5. No Connotations
The causal-historical theory, unlike the other theories, does not use mental facts (idea, experience, definition) to determine a referent. Denotations are determined by non-mental facts.* *Plus one intention for each link in the chain.

6. Natural Kinds
Kripke and another philosopher Hilary Putnam wanted to generalize what was true of names to “natural kind terms” (a phrase introduced by Quine).

8. The Causal-Historical Theory
Let’s call that thing a “tiger.”
TIGER
TIGER
TIGER
TIGER

9. Challenges

10. Huge Literature
There’s been an enormous literature on Kripke and Putnam (and I should mention Donnellan). I can’t explain all of the objections, but I’ll mention a few classic ones, and a recent challenge from Machery, Mallon, Nichols & Stich.

11. The Story of Madagascar
Let’s call that place ‘Mogadishu’
Madagishu
Madagascu
Madagasceir
Madagascar

12. C.H. Theory Predicts Let’s call that place ‘Mogadishu’ Denotation
Madagishu
Madagascu
Madagasceir
Madagascar
Denotation

13. C.H. Theory Predicts Wrong!!! Let’s call that place ‘Mogadishu’
Madagishu
Madagascu
Madagasceir
Madagascar
Denotation
Wrong!!!

14. Real Denotation Let’s call that place ‘Mogadishu’ Denotation Madagishu
Madagascu
Madagasceir
Madagascar
Denotation

15. Madagascar
The “Madagascar” case illustrates a general point: the Causal-Historical Theory cannot account for unintentional meaning change.

17. Gareth
Saul

18. Saul
Gareth

19. Twins Switched at Birth
Now imagine it’s 73 years later and we’ve been calling one man “Saul” for years, even though (unknown to us) he was baptized “Gareth.”
Saul

20. Twins Switched at Birth
TRUE or FALSE: Saul is wearing a hat.
Saul

21. The Causal-Historical Theory
Let’s call that stuff “jade.”
JADE
JADE
JADE
JADE

22. Jade
There are two distinct minerals called ‘jade’: jadeite and nephrite, but this wasn’t discovered until 1863 by Alexis Damour. Since jade is not a natural kind, the Causal-Historical Theory predicts that there is nothing that “jade” means.

23. Machery, Mallon, Nichols & Stich
In their highly influential 2004 paper “Semantics, Cross-Cultural Style,” MMNS claim to uncover evidence that while Westerners have intuitions that accord with Kripke and Putnam, East Asians have (on average) more descriptivist intuitions.

24. Machery, Mallon, Nichols & Stich
I am personally weary of the methodology, and I find it a little bit silly to think that anyone, East Asian or not, thinks that descriptivism is true.

25. MMNS
Still, this is another important reminder that the subjects of philosophy discussion cannot always be resolved by philosophers (at least, philosophers who don’t have labs and test subjects). Sometimes philosophical questions are empirical, and can’t be solved solely through debate.

26. The Messy Shopper

29. I am making a mess.

30. The Meeting

32. The meeting starts at noon.

33. The meeting starts at noon.

34. The meeting starts now.

35. The Mountaineer

38. That is Lake Gilmore and that is Mt. Tallac.

39. The De Se

40. Locating Beliefs
Who am I? (I’m the messy shopper.) What time is it now? (It’s noon.) Where am I? (This is the Mt. Tallac trail.)

41. Latin Lesson
De se ‘Concerning the self’ De re ‘Concerning the thing’ De dicto ‘Concerning what is said’

42. De Re vs. De Dicto Ortcutt believes someone is a spy. Two meanings:
There’s some particular person and Ortcutt believes that person is a spy.
Ortcutt believes that spies exist.

43. The De Se
I want him to win. I want PRO to win.

44. The Theory of Propositions

45. The Theory of Propositions
PROPOSITION Example: the proposition that Michael is a philosopher.

46. The Theory of Propositions
PROPOSITION Example: the proposition that Michael is a philosopher.
Object of belief

47. The Theory of Propositions
PROPOSITION Example: the proposition that Michael is a philosopher.
Meanings of sentences
Michael is a philosopher

48. The Theory of Propositions
PROPOSITION Example: the proposition that Michael is a philosopher.
Referents of
‘that’-clauses
Claire believes that Michael is a philosopher