Modality Reference and Sense

by Sitansu S.Chakravarti

The book points to a new logic of singular designators based upon a close analysis of work in the area by contemporary philosophers of language. The philosophers range from Frege, Russell, Quine, Strawson and Dummett to Kripke, Hintikka, Plantinga, Kaplan, Donnellan, Searle and Burge.The author draws our attention to predicative occurrences of proper names, in the modal context, matching corresponding occurrences of definite descriptions. His explanation of contingency, where proper names or definite descriptions are involved, is innovatively straight, simple and broad-based, at par with situations having ordinary predicates.

About the Author:

SITANSU S. CHAKRAVARTI was formerly Visiting Professor at the Departments of Philosophy at Rajasthan University, Jaipur, and Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan. He has taught at colleges and universities in India as well as in North America. At present he is working on a project on the philosophy of the Mahabharata.