Essentialism, modality and the direct reference theory

• Grant number: 16/25913-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: June 01, 2017
• End date: August 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Philosophy - Epistemology
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Marco Antonio Caron Ruffino
• Grantee: Thainá Coltro Demartini
• Host Institution: Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas (IFCH). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/15705-3 - The role of reference into metaphysical matters, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

This project's goal is divided in two parts. The first part is to search for what Kripke's thesis about the notion of essence and essential properties are. The second one is to analyze Salmon's and Fine's arguments against Kripke's theory. The main issue is: Does Kripke (in his theory) derive the essentialism from his semantical theory alone? It looks like this is a possible interpretation of his arguments, since Kripke uses his direct reference theory - the core of his semantical theory - to argue on/about what the essential properties of an object or natural kind are. This fact raises the question: What (if any) notion of essence is implied by Kripke's semantic theory? The analysis of Kripke's theory and its implications in a broader context play a role in the discussion about the possibility of reducing the metaphysical notion of essence into language issues. Salmon and Fine argue against this idea. For them, Kripke's notion of essence can neither be explained only through his direct reference theory nor be understood through modal terms alone. Hence our study is to reconstruct the arguments of these three philosophers, analyzing the real consequences of Kripke's theory and the validity of the criticisms directed to his theory, and also to take part in the broader discussion about the limits between semantical and metaphysical fields. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

DEMARTINI, Thainá Coltro. Essencialismo, modalidade e Teoria da Referência Direta. 2020. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas Campinas, SP.