Tolerating Sense Variation. Issue 1 (2nd January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Michaelson, Eliot; Textor, Mark
• Is Part Of: Australasian journal of philosophy. Volume 101:Issue 1(2023)
• Page Start: 182
• Page End: 196
• Publication Date: 2023-01-02
• Subjects: Frege -- Herder -- Trendelenburg -- sense -- reference -- communication; Philosophy -- Periodicals; Psychology -- Periodicals; 105
• DOI: 10.1080/00048402.2021.1951311
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0004-8402

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Frege famously claimed that variations in the sense of a proper name can sometimes be 'tolerated'. In this paper, we offer a novel explanation of this puzzling claim. Frege, we argue, follows Trendelenburg in holding that we think in language—sometimes individually and sometimes together. Variations in sense can be tolerated in just those cases where we are using language to coordinate our actions but are not engaged in thinking together about an issue.