The Question of Referentiality

ABSTRACT Most theorists have offered different accounts of reference fixing for names, demonstratives, and indexicals. Indeed, this variety can seem an inevitable response to a certain class of hard cases. Here, I will offer a unified account of reference fixing equally capable of handling these cases. Then, I will show how to extend the account to help Predicativists about names and Quantificationalists about demonstratives accommodate these cases as well. One interesting upshot of this strategy is that it offers a way of explaining what makes a term referential that doesn't appeal to logical form.

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Publication Details

Journal
Philosophy and Phenomenological Research
Published
2026-09-22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/phpr.70162
Primary Topic
Philosophy and Theoretical Science
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The Question of Referentiality

Eliot Michaelson
Philosophy and Phenomenological Research
Philosophy and Theoretical Science
article

The Question of Referentiality

Eliot Michaelson
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Most theorists have offered different accounts of reference fixing for names, demonstratives, and indexicals. Indeed, this variety can seem an inevitable response to a certain class of hard cases. Here, I will offer a unified account of reference fixing equally capable of handling these cases. Then, I will show how to extend the account to help Predicativists about names and Quantificationalists about demonstratives accommodate these cases as well. One interesting upshot of this strategy is that it offers a way of explaining what makes a term referential that doesn't appeal to logical form.

Philosophy and Phenomenological Research
King's College London (GB)
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Philosophy and Theoretical Science
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