Referential Zero Point

Authors

  • Miško Šuvaković

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25038/am.v0i9.112

Keywords:

reference, zero point, ordinary language philosophy, phenomenology, the real as impossible, chromatic illumination

Abstract

Perhaps the most important controversy in which ordinary language philosophy was involved is that of definite descriptions, presenting referential act as a community-involving communication-intention endeavor, thereby opposing the direct acquaintance-based and logical proper names inspired reference aimed at securing truth conditions of referential expression. The problem of reference is that of obtaining access to the matters in the world. This access may be forthcoming through the senses, or through descriptions. A review of how the problem of reference is handled shows though that one main practice is to indulge in relations of acquaintance supporting logical proper names, demonstratives, indexicals and causal or historical chains. This testifies that the problem of reference involves the zero point, and with it phenomenology of intentionality. Communication-intention is but one dimension of rich phenomenology that constitutes an agent’s experiential space, his experiential world. Zero point is another constitutive aspect of phenomenology involved in the referential relation. Realizing that the problem of reference is phenomenology based opens a new perspective upon the contribution of analytical philosophy in this area, reconciling it with continental approach, and demonstrating variations of the impossibility related to the real. Chromatic illumination from the cognitive background empowers the referential act, in the best tradition of ordinary language philosophy.

Author Biography

Miško Šuvaković

Faculty of Media and Communications, Singidunum University, Belgrade
Serbia

References

Austin, John Langshaw. How to do Things with Words. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1976. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198245537.001.0001

Brentano, Franz. Psychologie vom empirischen Standpunkte. Frankfurt a M.: Ontos Verlag, 2008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110332582.1

Davidson, Donald. Inquiries into Truth and Interpretation. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/0199246297.001.0001

Donnellan, Keith. “Reference and Definite Descriptions.” The Philosophical Review 76 (1966): 281–304. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2183143

Frege, Gottlob. Begriffsschrift: eine der arithmetischen nachgebildete „Formelsprache des reinen Denkens“. Halle: Verag von Louis Nebert, 1879.

Frege, Gottlob. “Ueber Sinn und Bedeutung. Zeitschrift fuer Philosophie und philosophische Kritik.” N. F 100/1, 1892, 25–50.

Grice, Paul. “Logic and Conversation.” In Syntax and Semantics 3, edited by P. Cole. New York: Academic Press, 1975.

Horgan, Terry, and Shaun Nichols. “The Zero Point and I.” In Sofia Miguenes, Clara Morando, and Gerhard Preyer. Pre-reflective Consciousness. Sartre and Contemporary Philosophy of Mind. London: Taylor & Fransis Group, 2015.

Horgan, Terry, and Matjaž Potrč. “The Epistemic Relevance of Morphological Content.” Acta Analytica 25 (2010): 155–173. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12136-010-0091-z

Horgan, Terry, and John Tienson. “The Intentionality of Phenomenology and the Phenomenology of Intentionality.” In Philosophy of Mind: Classical and Contemporary Readings, edited by David Chalmers. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Kripke, Saul. Naming and Necessity. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1980.

McGinn, Colin. Philosophy of Language: The Classics Explained. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2015.

McGinn, Colin. The Subjective View: Secondary Qualities and Indexical Thoughts. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983.

Perry, John. The Problem of the Essential Indexical and Other Essays. Stanford: CSLI Publications, 2010.

Potrč, Matjaž. Dinamicna filozofija. Zagreb: Lara, 2015.

Potrč, Matjaž. Zapis in govorica. Ljubljana: Partizanska knjiga, 1986.

Strawson, P. F. “On referring.” Mind 59, 235 (1950): 320–344. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/LIX.235.320

Wittgenstein, Ludwig. Philosophische Untersuchungen. London: The Macmillan Company, 1953.

Downloads

Published

15.04.2016

How to Cite

Šuvaković, M. (2016). Referential Zero Point. AM Journal of Art and Media Studies, (9), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.25038/am.v0i9.112