Summary |
According to Russell's classic semantics for definite descriptions, descriptions like "the F" are satisfied only if there is a unique F. Other accounts of definite descriptions opt to make this uniqueness requirement a presupposition rather than a part of the strict semantic content expressed by the description. Either way, such a requirement seems at odds with how we commonly use descriptions: to talk about objects that neither are, nor are presupposed to be, uniquely F. This puts the predictions of many popular theories of definite descriptions at odds with at least one aspect of common usage. Some theorists have proposed to deal with this "problem of incompleteness" by allowing that the context can effectively supplement the available descriptive material. Others have proposed to deal with this problem by appealing to a supplemental pragmatic theory. |