We can give two arguments for the necessity of true identity claims, one linguistic and. Thus, contrary to the received view or at least what was, prior to kripke, the received view a statement like a hesperus is phosphorus is necessarily true if, as certainly seems to the the case, its true at all. P c, on the other hand, contains two rigid designators. Much of the argument depends on conclusions drawn earlier in his work. This would remain aposteriori necessary if saul kripke were replaced by, say, a rigid description. Kripke and the mindbody problem i regard the mindbody problem as wide open and extremely confusing. A great deal of the books brilliance lies in the astonishing simplicity of his solution to some of philosophys most fiendish puzzles and the ease with which he lectures reveals the powerful grasp he has on the issues he describes. In reading naming and necessity, it is clear that saul kripke stands in a similar position.
This is the thesis that the following is a logical truth. The largely discredited distinction between accidental and essential. Kripkes basic argument is that there is no such thing as contingent identity. According to kripke, because names are rigid designatorsthat is terms that. But, this is something weve discovered, and its something that could be proved wrong, so it. He relies very heavily on intuitive considerations. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. A response to saul kripke in his book, naming and necessity, the american philosopher saul kripke argues, among other things, that the traditional belief that a priori knowledge must be knowledge of necessary truths and a posteriori knowledge must be knowledge of contingent truths is false. Pdf naming and necessity download full pdf book download.
Time and development in kripkes naming and necessity. They are also like names in the way in which their reference is fixed. The transcript was brought out originally in 1972 in semantics of natural language, edited by donald davidson and. Now, what is the relation between names and descriptions. An example of type 1 for aposteriori necessity is saul kripke if he exists is a human being.
Much of the argument depends on conclusions drawn earlier in. Reprmred by permtsston of the pubbshers from naming and necessity by saul a. From a comprehensive picture of naming, reference, necessity, and identity, he drew consequences for some other important philosophical problems. P is a name for that very pain, and so rigidly designates it. Like names, they arent synonymous with descriptions associated with them by speakers. It redirected philosophical attention to neglected questions of natural and metaphysical necessity and to the connections between these and theories of. Identity statements between names are necessarily true if true at all. From a critique of the dominant tendency to assimilate names to descriptions and more generally to treat their reference as a function of their fregean sense, surprisingly deep and widespread consequences may be drawn. Proper names and the necessity of identity statements jstor.
The book has four chapters, covering the main topics of kripkes epic naming and necessity nn. Kripkean natural kind terms is a certain kind of nondescriptionality. Since the descriptions ordinarily associated with names. If a name refers to an object o, it refers to o with respect to every possible world in which o exists. Because p and c are both rigid designators, p c has to be true of necessity if it is true at all. Logically, we as yet are committed to no thesis about the status of what we ordinarily call names in natural language. He claims there is an inherent problem in the fregean notion of sense. It redirected philosophical attention to neglected questions of natural and metaphysical necessity and to the connections between these and theories of naming, and of identity. How such talk works is a delicate matter not settled by kripke, and how or whether it can be squared with some of kripkes main claims, e. Identity and necessity 185 think, contrary to most recent theorists, that the reference of names is rarely or almost never fixed by means of description.
Feb 17, 2011 within the lectures in which kripke introduced rigid designators, he applied the idea to the identity statements proposed by identity theorists. Kripke is supposed to be offering us an argument for necessity of identity from his definition of rigid designation. Recall that he established a similar thesis about identity sentences involving names. C is a name for that very brain event, and so rigidly designates it. All books are in clear copy here, and all files are secure so dont worry about it. A prioricity and qualitatively identical situations 4. Suggests that contingent identity statements only possible with descriptions, and then, because theyre not really. One of kripke s aims is to show that theoretical identity sentences are necessary, if true. Other times its that 2 because of the names, the example does not work. Because ordinary proper names are rigid designators, he said, any true identity sentence. Identity sentences and the necessary a posteriori 97105 7 4.
Names, necessity, and identity, by christopher hughes. If one expression is a rigid and another is not, they cannot mean the same thing. Kripkes naming and necessity who shaves the barber. Kripke claims that i and ii are selfevident theses of philosophical logic independent of natural language. Christopher hughes offers a careful exposition and critical analysis of kripkes central ideas about names, necessity, and identity, and in the process makes significant contributions to continuing debates about such topics as modality, essence, natural kinds, and. Christopher hughes offers a careful exposition and critical analysis of kripkes central ideas about names, necessity, and identity.
The basic idea is simple enough, whatever the details. Read download naming and necessity pdf pdf download. A great deal of the books brilliance lies in the astonishing simplicity of his solution to some of philosophys most fiendish puzzles and the ease with which he lectures reveals the powerful grasp he. In his famous work naming and necessity, saul kripke presents an argument against the materialists identity theory of mind. Click download or read online button to get saul kripke book now. Mattey fall, 2005 philosophy 156 a note on method kripkes early work on semantics was in the formal semantics of modal logic. Christopher norris 2007, fiction, philosophy and literary theory. As its title no doubt suggests, hughess is a book about kripke.
Aside from challenging how we think about names and identity, it also clarified the notions of a priori and necessary. Kripke on semantics university of california, davis. Some identity statements are contingently true that is, the propositions they express are contingently true, for example 1 and 2. Kripkes refutation of identity theory a rigid designator. Saul kripke is one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. He further thinks that natural kind terms, like names, are rigid designators. That identity statements between what we call names in actual language are necessary. Arial times new roman symbol default design saul kripke, identity and necessity an apparent paradox the paradox with proper names identities in science rigid vs. Pdf on nov 1, 2005, consuelo preti and others published kripke. Naming and necessity 193 we want a common term to cover names and descriptions, we may use the term designator. A conflation in freges notion of sense kripkes response to fregean theories. Saul kripke 19801971 the identity thesis excerpt from.
Famously, kripke showed why water is h2o is actually a necessary fact. On a derivation of the necessity of identity saul kripkes lecture identity and necessity 1971 begins with a short discussion of a formal derivation of a law of necessity of identity. Christopher hughes offers a careful exposition and critical analysis of kripke s central ideas about names, necessity, and identity, and in the process makes significant contributions to continuing debates about such topics as modality, essence, natural kinds, and. In lectures delivered at princeton in the winter of 1970, saul kripke offered a lucid alternative to such theories which i shall lump together under the term descriptivism. Names, necessity, and identity article pdf available in disputatio 119.
Kripkes naming and necessity some theses of naming and necessity 1. The consequence of this is that no contingent identitystatements can be made by means of proper names. Rigid designators stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Kripke accepts a principle of quantified modal logic with identity called the necessityofidentity. To be clear, kripke meant for his argument to apply to claims made by both kinds of identity theorists 148, naming. It redirected philosophical attention to neglected questions of natural and metaphysical necessity and to the connections between these and theories of reference, in particular of naming, and of identity. And, more relevantly, smart thought that 7 was a contingently true identity statement. Whereas kripke himself only claimed to offer a better picture of names than the cluster theory, almost immediately. Ever since the publication of its original version, naming and necessity has had great and increasing influence. Please click button to get kripke names necessity and identity book now.
An identity statement flanked on both sides with proper names is necessarily true, saul kripke thinks, if its true at all. Naming and necessity has had a great and increasing influence. If xy, then, according to kripke, necessarily xy i. And then he says that he is discontented with this. Sep 19, 2017 aside from challenging how we think about names and identity, it also clarified the notions of a priori and necessary. Saul kripke, in a series of classic writings of the 1960s and 1970s, changed the face of metaphysics and philosophy of language. Martin kusch 2006, a sceptical guide to meaning and rules. Nov 21, 2015 in his famous work naming and necessity, saul kripke presents an argument against the materialists identity theory of mind. Kripkes most basic examples are identity statements involving two proper names for the same item, as with hesperus is phosphorus or cicero is tully. Kripke names necessity and identity download ebook pdfepub. A response to saul kripke in his book, naming and necessity, the american philosopher saul kripke argues, among other things, that the traditional belief that a priori knowledge must be knowledge of necessary. Why there are no necessary a posteriori propositions. Naming and necessity is a 1980 book with the transcript of three lectures, given by the philosopher saul kripke, at princeton university in 1970, in which he dealt with the debates of proper names in the philosophy of language.
The present commentary attempts to improve understanding of it by. Saul kripke 19801971 the identity thesis excerpt from identity and necessity give a sketch of kripkes argumentation against the identity theory and discuss it. Kripke cambridge, mass harvard university press, 1972, 1980 by saul a. Kripke, namingandnecessity university of pittsburgh. Naming and necessity a return to mill kripke proposes a millian theory of names, according to which proper names dont have senses. Names, necessity, and identity find, read and cite all the research you need on. Within the lectures in which kripke introduced rigid designators, he applied the idea to the identity statements proposed by identity theorists. Proper names and the necessity of identity statements. The derivation has become rather well known, but perhaps not so well understood. In naming and necessity, he treats semantics of natural language. Kripkes position is that every identity statement whose terms are proper names is a necessary truth if it is true at all, even though most such. Kripkes problems two names with the same reference hesperus and phosphorus example we often express this by the identity statement. In the former case the two names derive from two acts of naming, one in the evening, one in the morning for etymologically the names mean, nearly enough, evening star and morning star.
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