MINIMIZING THE PRESUPPOSITIONS OF RUSSELL'S THEORY OF DESCRIPTIONS IN "ON DENOTING"

Date

2024-2

Author

Özdağ, Cenk

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This thesis endeavors to reduce the presuppositions inherent in Bertrand Russell's Theory of Descriptions as presented in "On Denoting" (OD). We conduct a detailed, paragraph-by-paragraph analysis of OD, elucidating the theory's objectives, its contrasting theories, and its merits. Nonetheless, Russell's presentation of the theory introduces complications due to imprecise terminology and occasional divergences from the core analytical focus. This has sparked considerable debate regarding the accurate interpretation of OD's arguments and definitions. Among these debates is the examination of the infamous Gray's Elegy Argument. Our analysis posits that a rephrasing of the argument's verbal expression reveals its validity, which, upon closer inspection, bifurcates into two interconnected arguments. Engaging with this argument illuminates the propositions Russell intends to challenge and uncovers his motivations for developing the Theory of Descriptions, which extend beyond the theory's immediate scope. However, these motivations inadvertently burden the theory with extraneous elements. In our study, we differentiate between presuppositions integral to the theory and those extraneously incorporated into OD. Our aim is to introduce a novel conceptualization of presupposition that is applicable to theoretical constructs holistically. This approach enables us to identify and discard presuppositions that, while present in OD, do not contribute to the core theory. By removing these extraneous presuppositions and reevaluating those that are pertinent but not indispensable, we streamline Russell's Theory of Descriptions, thereby achieving a more concise, focused and invulnerable theoretical framework.

Subject Keywords

Theory of Descriptions, Presuppositions, Linguistic Structure, Logical Structure, Ideal Language

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/108766

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis