Vergauwen, A Metalogical Theory of Reference, Introduction, §8

by Corry Shores
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Roger Vergauwen

A Metalogical Theory of Reference: Realism and Essentialism in Semantics

Introduction: the Temperature of a Hot Topic

§8 Realism and Conceptualism

Recently philosophers have focused on the problem of the relation between a model and external reality.

We assume that models correspond to reality. And by means of models we may establish a reference relation between language and reality. But we have not clarified how they do so.

There are two general views on the matter: conceptualist and realist.

1) The conceptualist view regards meaning as a relation between symbols and the contents of our consciousness. But this view does not do well to explain how symbols relate to real things.

2) The realist view believes that there are objects independent of our language. Hence it is possible that things are different then the ways we express them. So something might be false, but still fulfill the conditions allowing for us to assert it.

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Vergauwen, Roger. A Metalogical Theory of Reference: Realism and Essentialism in Semantics. London: University Press of America, 1993.

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