What’s left of rigidity?

Nikhil Mahant (Uppsala University)

The next meeting of the Sign-Language-Reality seminar in the academic year 2024/25 will take place:

Thursday, the 12th of December 2024, 17.00, Central European Time

Nikhil Mahant
(Uppsala University)

will deliver a talk:

What's left of rigidity?

Abstract:

I will argue that given some plausible assumptions about natural language and
philosophical methodology, the following theses about names cannot be true
together: (a) the same ('proper') name can be borne by distinct
objects/individuals, and (b) names of natural language are (de jure) rigid
designators but definite descriptions are not. The main assumptions that my
argument appeals to are: (i) fragments of language (e.g., names) do not
themselves refer, but can be used to refer, and (ii) every assumption involved
in assessing whether names are (or are not) rigid designators must be preserved
in the corresponding assessment for definite descriptions.

The seminar will be held online, to join the meeting, please use the information below:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://uw-edu-pl.zoom.us/j/92716044372?pwd=0l7PETAOwqQDBKTMCnheYQN7ag7zx1.1

Meeting ID: 927 1604 4372
Passcode: 697648

Seminar website (with a tentative list of meetings):
http://pts.edu.pl/seminarium-2024-2025-seminar-2024-2025.html

The meeting opens at 4:45 pm, the talk starts at 5 pm.