ON THEORY OF DESCRIPTION (RUSSELL & STRAWSON)

ON THEORY OF DESCRIPTION (RUSSELL & STRAWSON)

(Position Paper)

The theory of reference is a fundamental concept in philosophy of language, addressing the question of how language connects words or symbols with the objects they represent in the external world. Bertrand Russell’s theory was groundbreaking but had its limitations.

Russell's theory of reference is characterized by a strict observance to logical analysis. It seeks to eliminate ambiguity and clarify language through formal means. He subscribes to what is an existent object and negates the non-existent entities. 

However, his [Russel] view has been criticized for its apparent dismissal of meaningful sentences that contain non-referring expressions. Moreover, some argue that his theory does not fully capture how language functions in ordinary communication. For instance, “The square is circle’’ is a case of such cannot be considered as existing entities, that is, it is not always making existential claims. Instead, they may be referring to an individual that they believe exists or intending to convey certain information.

Strawson's theory, on the other hand, is more accommodating of ordinary language use. It recognizes the meaningfulness of sentences with empty descriptions and allows for non-referring expressions in language. 

Strawson's approach simply agrees that Russell’s idea is ambiguous in its sense. That is, he further understands the meaning of the theory of description. Strawson deepens the theory by developing the utterance questioning the symbol of language. For example, “Marcos is corrupt.” Other countries would believe this matter without verifying. But for Strawson’s case, Marcos will only be proven that he really is until he is identified. Thus, language reflects how we perceive and talk about the world, rather than adhering to a strict logical structure, Strawson believed.

Now which of these positions is it most plausible to attribute the use of language in the external world?

  With these, I firmly believe that Strawson’s idea is much more reasonable to see the epistemic dimensions of language in a particular context. He clarifies the role of language’s description based on the utterance. There is an objective verification of the language used in communication, that is, simpler than the thought of Russell.   


Reference:

Hochberg, Herbert. “Strawson, Russell, and the King of France.” Philosophy of Science 37, no. 3 (1970): 363–84.

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