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One of Russell's major contributions to modern logic is his theory of descriptions as outlined in his landmark article: On Denoting. Russell argues that descriptions do not denote objects directly, but instead apply to a generic 'something' that fits the description. This allows him, he claims, to solve some puzzles that had plagued philosophy for centuries. His approach has become standard practice in classical logic since.
This video is an introduction to a reasonably advanced, but highly interesting topic. It should be helpful for both those that find philosophy interesting and philosophy students alike. It provides a potential reply to arguments such as the ontological argument for the existence of God, and also helps to shed light on some conventions of modern logic.
#Russell #OnDenoting #TheoryOfDescriptions
----------Video Contents----------
00:00 - Introduction
01:03 - The Theories of Meinong and Frege
02:20 - Problems with Meinong's view
04:26 - Problems with Frege's view
08:00 - Russell's Theory of Descriptions
09:30 - Indefinite Descriptions
10:32 - Definite Descriptions
11:58 - Logical Notation
14:01 - Solving the Identity Puzzle
15:39 - Solving the Negation Puzzle
19:09 - Solving the Non-Existence Puzzle
21:57 - Ending
----------Channel Details----------
This channel features videos about big ideas in philosophy, explained as simply as I can. The focus is on late 19th and early 20th century thought, with a particular emphasis on the British Idealists (e.g. F. H. Bradley, J. M. E. McTaggart) and early analytic philosophers (Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Frank Ramsey). Welcome to the channel!
----------My Details----------
I am a PhD student and Gates Scholar at Cambridge near the end of a thesis on Frege's views on Truth. I have lectured at Cambridge on Frank Ramsey and Bertrand Russell, regularly taught undergraduate logic classes, and have also supervised students in metaphysics, philosophy of language, philosophical logic, epistemology, and early analytic philosophy. But I have a keen interest in the British Idealists that I hope to pursue by making videos about what I'm reading, so much of the content of this channel will be an outlet for that interest.
----------References----------
Frege, G. (1984). Collected Papers on Mathematics, Logic, and Philosophy. (B. McGuinness, Ed., M. Black, V. H. Dudman, P. Geach, H. Kaal, E. H. W. Kluge, B. McGuinness, & R. H. Stoothoff, Trans.). Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell.
Geach, P. (1959). Russell on Meaning and Denoting. Analysis, 19(3), 27-31.
Hawkins, N. (2021). Frege’s Equivalence Thesis and Reference Failure. Organon F, 28(1), 198-222. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/orgf.2021.28109
Marek, J. (2021). Alexius Meinong. In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Edward N. Zalta ed.).
Russell, B. (1905). On Denoting. Mind, 14(56), 479-93.
Searle, J. R. (1958). Russell's Objections to Frege's Theory of Sense and Reference. Analysis, 18(6), 137-43.