Is Necessity the Mother of Intension?

• Published in: The Philosophical review 1977-01, Vol.86 (1), p.70-96
• Main Authors: Katz, Fred M., Katz, Jerrold J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Approach/Approaches; Intensionality; Language/Languages; Linguistic meaning; Linguistics; Logical empiricism; Logical truth; Modal epistemology; Modal logic; Modal realism; Nature/Natural/Naturalism/ Naturalistic; Semantic/Semantics; Semantics; Theoretical linguistics
• ISSN: 0031-8108; 1558-1470
• DOI: 10.2307/2184163

Two approaches to the semantics of natural languages are considered & criticized: the "possible worlds" approach & the "sense" approach derived from Frege. The first yields semantic theories that "fail to meet reasonable conditions of adequacy," & is mistakenly based on identifying means & essence. Semantic properties & relations are classified & sense theories characterized in broad terms. Representational sense theories possess two components: a logical theory & a representation relation relating a lang's expressions to semantic representations. Two types of modal theories are distinguished: the "advertised" theory presented in opposition to sense theories, & the "real" theory found in formal systems which, it is argued, is a representational sense theory. The advertised theory is shown to be inadequate for the semantics of natural language & falls under the same criticism as the simple referential theory of meaning, ie, traditionally meaningful expressions without a referent become meaningless, & traditionally nonsynonymous expressions with the same referent become synonymous. Finally, it is shown how R. Montague's modal theory incorporates a representation of senses in the form of analysis trees. A. Orianne