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The contents of linguistic and mental representations may seem to be individuated by what they are about. But a problem arises with regard to representation of the non-existent - words and thoughts that are about things that don't exist. Fourteen new essays get to grips with this much-debated problem.
List of contents
- Introduction
- 1: Cian Dorr: Transparency and the Context-Sensitivity of Attitude Reports
- 2: Robin Jeshion: Two Dogmas of Russellianism
- 3: Peter Pagin: Intersubjective Intentional Identity
- 4: Kathrin Glüer-Pagin and Peter Pagin: Vulcan Might Have Existed, and Neptune Not: On the Semantics of Empty Names
- 5: Frederick Kroon: Content Relativism and the Problem of Empty Names
- 6: François Recanati: Empty Singular Terms in the Mental File Framework
- 7: Kenneth A. Taylor: The Things We Do With Empty Names: Objectual Representations, Non-Veridical Language Games, and Truth Similitude
- 8: Imogen Dickie: A Practical Solution to the Problem of Empty Singular Thought
- 9: Nathan Salmon: What is Existence?
- 10: Greg Ray: The Problem of Negative Existentials Inadvertently Solved
- 11: Mark Sainsbury: Fictional Worlds and Fiction Operators
- 12: Briggs Wright: Many, but almost Holmes?
- 13: Stacie Friend: Notions of Nothing
- 14: Tatjana von Solodkoff: Fictional Realism and Negative Existentials
About the author
Manuel García-Carpintero was awarded a 'Distinció de Recerca' for senior researchers by the Catalan Government between 2002 and 2008, and in 2009 the prize 'ICREA Acadèmia' for excellence in research, also funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya, to work on a book on the nature of assertion and reference (2009-2013).
; Genoveva Martí is a member elect of the Academia Europaea, since 2009. She was the first academic director of the Academia Europaea--Barcelona Knowledge Hub. In 2012 she received the Narcís Monturiol medal for scientific merit, awarded by the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Summary
The contents of linguistic and mental representations may seem to be individuated by what they are about. But a problem arises with regard to representation of the non-existent - words and thoughts that are about things that don't exist. Fourteen new essays get to grips with this much-debated problem.
Additional text
García-Carpintero and Martí have curated some of the latest and best work on the topic, in one convenient and well-edited format. The volume accordingly stands as an excellent sample of the most cutting-edge thinking on these issues.
