Dummett's Backward Road to Frege and to Intuitionism - Tripod
Dummett's Backward Road to Frege and to Intuitionism - Tripod Dummett's Backward Road to Frege and to Intuitionism - Tripod
in reported speech (1970f: 58–59). I think this sentence is not an anomalous break in the discussion of reported speech, that is, is not an odd shift of topic to customary sense and customary reference. I think this sentence is a continuous, not to say integral, part of the two-paragraph discussion of indirect sense and indirect reference. In other words, I think this sentence indicates an exception to Frege’s rule that expressions beginning with the singular definite article refer to objects. The exception is precisely for reported speech, i.e., indirect quotation, which by definition refers to senses, as opposed to direct quotation, which refers to names (1970f: 59, 65; 1980c: 149). Senses are indirectly tied to quotation because they must be garbed in language; thus for Frege, the identity of a sense is never directly given to us, but ultimately only via names, as functionally opposed to customary references. I think this is obscured by the fact that the two paragraphs in question mainly discuss the reported speech of a speaker, while in “the sense of expression ‘A’,” “A” is a piece of speech not being attributed to a speaker. But “A” would not be an expression at all unless someone could use it, and in that broad sense “the sense of expression ‘A’” does report speech. There is no doubt that words are being quoted here. We often quote words without quoting a speaker. We simply surround the words with quotation marks. E.g., “Fermat’s Last Theorem,” which is just an “A”. Dummett is right that singular definite descriptions of the form “the F” customarily refer to objects, because customarily they logically function as object-names. But if I am right, Frege classifies “the sense of expression ‘A’” as indirect quotation, and therefore it has no customary reference, but only an indirect reference, which is its sense. Unless Dummett has independent evidence that some senses are objects, there is nothing here to show that some senses are objects. Indeed, on my reading it follows that no senses can be objects, since senses are essentially indirect references. By parity of reason, “the thought that A” refers to a thought as opposed to an object. The test is precisely that it “designates” a thought (Frege 1970f: 66; see 59), and the mark is precisely that we are “concerned” with thought as opposed to reference (1970f: 63, 67). At best, it could only refer to an object which 38
epresents the thought. But Frege rules out that possibility, since he holds that it refers to the thought. 21 On Dummett’s view, Frege’s sentence about the sense of expression “A” is even odder than I have indicated. For I assume that “A” can be any expression, including function-names such as “F( )” as well as object-names such as “b”. But the sense of expression “F( )” is essentially incomplete, while all objects are essentially complete. Therefore, if “the sense of expression ‘F( )’” must refer to an object, then it cannot refer to the sense expressed by “F( )”. On my reading, the absurdity vanishes. “The sense of expression ‘F( )’” refers to an incomplete sense, not to an object, because it makes an indirect quotation. My assumption might be wrong. Frege’s capital “A” looks like a function-name, but it marks no argument-place. But surely Frege is using “A” to range at least over all names. And even if he is not, the problem of the sense of expression “F( )” remains. Dummett is part of a crowd. Gustav Bergmann, Rulon S. Wells, Howard Jackson, and Charles Caton all hold that senses are objects (my 2003: 65). Michael Beaney argues that they are or ought to be (1997: 28–36; see 29 n.67). Caton argues that all senses are objects because “the sense of expression ‘A’” always refers to an object. He admits both that all objects are complete and that some senses are incomplete. He admits that this implies the formal contradiction that some objects are both complete and incomplete. He does not propose to address the problem in his paper (1968). In Frege: Philosophy of Language, Dummett says, “The sense of a predicate is indeed to be considered an object....” (1981: 294). For Dummett, the only other “alternative” is that it is a function, which he rejects (1981: 291, pace 442 distinguishing the realm of references, including objects and functions, from senses). He then suggests that it is “incomplete only in that it would be necessary” to grasp it as the sense of an incomplete expression (1981: 291). That is, he thinks all senses are really complete. 39
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in reported speech (1970f: 58–59). I think this sentence is not an anomalous break in the discussion of<br />
reported speech, that is, is not an odd shift of <strong>to</strong>pic <strong>to</strong> cus<strong>to</strong>mary sense <strong>and</strong> cus<strong>to</strong>mary reference. I think<br />
this sentence is a continuous, not <strong>to</strong> say integral, part of the two-paragraph discussion of indirect sense<br />
<strong>and</strong> indirect reference. In other words, I think this sentence indicates an exception <strong>to</strong> <strong>Frege</strong>’s rule that<br />
expressions beginning with the singular definite article refer <strong>to</strong> objects. The exception is precisely for<br />
reported speech, i.e., indirect quotation, which by definition refers <strong>to</strong> senses, as opposed <strong>to</strong> direct<br />
quotation, which refers <strong>to</strong> names (1970f: 59, 65; 1980c: 149). Senses are indirectly tied <strong>to</strong> quotation<br />
because they must be garbed in language; thus for <strong>Frege</strong>, the identity of a sense is never directly given<br />
<strong>to</strong> us, but ultimately only via names, as functionally opposed <strong>to</strong> cus<strong>to</strong>mary references.<br />
I think this is obscured by the fact that the two paragraphs in question mainly discuss the<br />
reported speech of a speaker, while in “the sense of expression ‘A’,” “A” is a piece of speech not being<br />
attributed <strong>to</strong> a speaker. But “A” would not be an expression at all unless someone could use it, <strong>and</strong> in<br />
that broad sense “the sense of expression ‘A’” does report speech. There is no doubt that words are<br />
being quoted here. We often quote words without quoting a speaker. We simply surround the words<br />
with quotation marks. E.g., “Fermat’s Last Theorem,” which is just an “A”.<br />
Dummett is right that singular definite descriptions of the form “the F” cus<strong>to</strong>marily refer <strong>to</strong><br />
objects, because cus<strong>to</strong>marily they logically function as object-names. But if I am right, <strong>Frege</strong> classifies<br />
“the sense of expression ‘A’” as indirect quotation, <strong>and</strong> therefore it has no cus<strong>to</strong>mary reference, but<br />
only an indirect reference, which is its sense. Unless Dummett has independent evidence that some<br />
senses are objects, there is nothing here <strong>to</strong> show that some senses are objects. Indeed, on my reading it<br />
follows that no senses can be objects, since senses are essentially indirect references. By parity of<br />
reason, “the thought that A” refers <strong>to</strong> a thought as opposed <strong>to</strong> an object. The test is precisely that it<br />
“designates” a thought (<strong>Frege</strong> 1970f: 66; see 59), <strong>and</strong> the mark is precisely that we are “concerned”<br />
with thought as opposed <strong>to</strong> reference (1970f: 63, 67). At best, it could only refer <strong>to</strong> an object which<br />
38
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