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Direct, Rigid Designation and a Posteriori Necessity: A History and Critique

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Book cover The New Theory of Reference

Part of the book series: Synthese Library ((SYLI,volume 270))

Abstract

This paper aims to accomplish two interdependent goals, one historical and one philosophical. First, I aim to present a partial history of the theories of direct, causal or rigid reference as they appear in the New Theory of Reference, an account additional to that presented in [Smith, 1995a, 1995b]. Second, I aim to critically assess and further develop these theories.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Philosophy Department, Western Michigan University, USA

    Quentin Smith

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  1. Quentin Smith
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

    Paul W. Humphreys

  2. University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN, USA

    James H. Fetzer

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Smith, Q. (1998). Direct, Rigid Designation and a Posteriori Necessity: A History and Critique. In: Humphreys, P.W., Fetzer, J.H. (eds) The New Theory of Reference. Synthese Library, vol 270. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5250-1_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5250-1_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-5578-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-5250-1

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