Demonstratives and cognitive significance revisited

Analysis 83 (1):61-69 (2022)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

The issue of whether a theory of demonstratives should be able to handle Frege’s Puzzle seems rather old hat, but it was not so much resolved as left hanging. This paper tries to remedy that. I argue that a major problem not previously noticed affects any theory of demonstratives that aims at dealing with Frege’s Puzzle. This problem shows itself in cases in which the cognitive significance of a single demonstrative identity – such as ‘that is that’ – differs for participants of the same context. To accommodate such cases, I argue, we would need an implausible individualistic theory of demonstratives nobody should (or does) endorse. If so, we must look elsewhere for a solution to Frege’s Puzzle.

Author's Profile

Filipe Martone
Universidade Federal do ABC

Analytics

Added to PP
2022-11-02

Downloads
118 (#97,341)

6 months
68 (#81,800)

Historical graph of downloads since first upload
This graph includes both downloads from PhilArchive and clicks on external links on PhilPapers.
How can I increase my downloads?