Priority and Unity in Frege and Wittgenstein
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15173/jhap.v6i5.3351Abstract
In the following article I intend to examine the problem of the unity of the proposition in Russell, Frege, and Wittgenstein. My chief aim will be to draw attention to the distinction between Russell’s conception of propositional constituents, on the one hand, with Frege and Wittgenstein’s on the other. My focus will be on Russell’s view of terms as independent, propositions being built up out of these building blocks, compared with Frege and Wittgenstein’s ‘top down’ approach. Furthermore, I will argue that, contra certain other commentators, Frege’s metaphor of saturation and unsaturation does not serve as a solution to the problem of unity, and that the extension of this metaphorical language to Wittgenstein is, therefore, inappropriate.
References
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Bronzo, Silver, 2017. ‘Frege on Propositional Unity.’ British Journal for the History of Philosophy 25: 750–71.
Burge, Tyler, 1986. ‘Frege on Truth.’ In Haaparanta and Hintikka (1986), pp. 97–154.
Candlish, Stewart, 2006. The Bradley/Russell Dispute and its Significance for Twentieth Century Philosophy. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Demopoulos, William, 2013. Logicism and its Philosophical Legacy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Dummett, Michael, 1981a. Frege: Philosophy of Language, 2nd ed. London: Duckworth.
———, 1981b. The Interpretation of Frege’s Philosophy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Frege, Gottlob, 1879. Begriffsschrift. Translated in part by M. Beaney in Frege (1997), pp. 47–78.
———, 1882. Letter to Marty, 29 August 1882. Translated by H. Kaal in Frege (1997), pp. 79–83.
———, 1884. Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik: eine logisch mathematische Untersuchung über den Begriff der Zahl. Breslau: W. Koebner. Translated into English as The Foundations of Arithmetic, by J. L. Austin, 2nd revised ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 1974.
———, 1892a. ‘Über Begriff und Gegenstand.’ Translated by P. Geach as ‘On Concept and Object’ in Frege (1997), pp. 181–93.
———, 1892b. ‘Über Sinn und Bedeutung.’ Translated by M. Black as ‘On Sinn and Bedeutung’ in Frege (1997), pp. 151–72.
———, 1893. Grundgesetze der Arithmetik, vol. I. Translated in part by M. Beaney in Frege (1997), pp. 194–223.
———, 1997. The Frege Reader, edited by M. Beaney. Oxford: Blackwell.
Gaskin, Richard, 2008. The Unity of the Proposition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Haaparanta, Leila and Jaakko Hintikka, eds., 1986. Frege Synthesized. Dordrecht: D. Reidel.
Hylton, Peter, 2005. Propositions, Functions, and Analysis: Selected Essays on Russell’s Philosophy. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Ishiguro, Hide, 1969. ‘Use and Reference of Names.’ In Studies in the Philosophy of Wittgenstein, edited by P. Winch, pp. 20–50. Oxford: Routledge.
Johnston, Colin, 2007. ‘The Unity of a Tractarian Fact.’ Synthese 156: 231–51.
———, 2009. ‘Tractarian Objects and Logical Categories.’ Synthese 167: 145–61.
Kremer, Michael, 2010. ‘Sense and Reference: The Origins and Development of the Distinction.’ In Potter and Ricketts (2010), pp. 220–92.
Lebens, Samuel, 2017. ‘Russell and Bradley: Revisiting the Creation Narrative of Analytic Philosophy.’ Journal for the History of Analytical Philosophy 5: 1–20.
Linsky, Leonard, 1992. ‘The Unity of the Proposition.’ Journal for the History of Philosophy 30: 243–73.
Morris, Michael, 2008. Wittgenstein and the Tractatus. New York: Routledge.
Potter, Michael and Thomas Ricketts, eds., 2010. The Cambridge Companion to Frege. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Ramsey, Frank, 1925. ‘Universals.’ Mind 34: 401–17.
Resnik, Michael, 1976. ‘Frege’s Context Principle Revisited.’ In Studien zu Frege, vol. 3, edited by M. Schirn, pp. 35–49. Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt: Frommann-Holzboog.
Ricketts, Thomas, 1986. ‘Objectivity and Objecthood: Frege’s Metaphysics of Judgement.’ In Haaparanta and Hintikka (1986), pp. 65–96.
———, 2010. ‘Concepts, Objects, and the Context Principle.’ In Potter and Ricketts (2010), pp. 149–219.
Russell, Bertrand, 1899. ‘The Classification of Relations.’ Reprinted in The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell, vol. 2, edited by N. Griffin and A. C. Lewis. New York: Routledge, 1990.
———, 1903. The Principles of Mathematics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
———, 1904. ‘On Functions.’ In The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell, vol. 4, edited by A. Urquhart, pp. 96–110. New York: Routledge, 1994.
———, 1913. Theory of Knowledge: The 1913 Manuscript, edited by E. R. Eames, vol. 7 of The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell. London: Allen & Unwin, 1984.
———, 1918–1919. ‘The Philosophy of Logical Atomism.’ The Monist 28: 495–527; 29: 32–63, 190–222, 345–380. Reprinted in Logic and Knowledge, edited by R. C. Marsh, pp. 177–281. London: Allen & Unwin, 1956.
———, 1959. My Philosophical Development. London: Allen & Unwin.
Schaffer, Jonathan, 2010. ‘Monism: The Priority of the Whole.’ The Philosophical Review 119: 31–76.
Sluga, Hans, 1975. ‘Frege and the Rise of Analytic Philosophy.’ Inquiry 18: 471–98.
Stevens, Graham, 2005. The Russellian Origins of Analytic Philosophy. Oxford: Routledge.
Sullivan, Peter, 2000. ‘Wittgenstein’s Context Principle.’ In Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, edited by W. Vossenkuhl, pp. 65–88. Berlin: Akademie.
———, 2004. ‘Frege’s Logic.’ In Handbook of the History of Logic, vol. 3, edited by D. M. Gabbay and J. Woods, pp. 671–761. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Wittgenstein, Ludwig, 1922. Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, translated by C. K. Ogden. London: Kegan Paul.
Bronzo, Silver, 2017. ‘Frege on Propositional Unity.’ British Journal for the History of Philosophy 25: 750–71.
Burge, Tyler, 1986. ‘Frege on Truth.’ In Haaparanta and Hintikka (1986), pp. 97–154.
Candlish, Stewart, 2006. The Bradley/Russell Dispute and its Significance for Twentieth Century Philosophy. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Demopoulos, William, 2013. Logicism and its Philosophical Legacy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Dummett, Michael, 1981a. Frege: Philosophy of Language, 2nd ed. London: Duckworth.
———, 1981b. The Interpretation of Frege’s Philosophy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Frege, Gottlob, 1879. Begriffsschrift. Translated in part by M. Beaney in Frege (1997), pp. 47–78.
———, 1882. Letter to Marty, 29 August 1882. Translated by H. Kaal in Frege (1997), pp. 79–83.
———, 1884. Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik: eine logisch mathematische Untersuchung über den Begriff der Zahl. Breslau: W. Koebner. Translated into English as The Foundations of Arithmetic, by J. L. Austin, 2nd revised ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 1974.
———, 1892a. ‘Über Begriff und Gegenstand.’ Translated by P. Geach as ‘On Concept and Object’ in Frege (1997), pp. 181–93.
———, 1892b. ‘Über Sinn und Bedeutung.’ Translated by M. Black as ‘On Sinn and Bedeutung’ in Frege (1997), pp. 151–72.
———, 1893. Grundgesetze der Arithmetik, vol. I. Translated in part by M. Beaney in Frege (1997), pp. 194–223.
———, 1997. The Frege Reader, edited by M. Beaney. Oxford: Blackwell.
Gaskin, Richard, 2008. The Unity of the Proposition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Haaparanta, Leila and Jaakko Hintikka, eds., 1986. Frege Synthesized. Dordrecht: D. Reidel.
Hylton, Peter, 2005. Propositions, Functions, and Analysis: Selected Essays on Russell’s Philosophy. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Ishiguro, Hide, 1969. ‘Use and Reference of Names.’ In Studies in the Philosophy of Wittgenstein, edited by P. Winch, pp. 20–50. Oxford: Routledge.
Johnston, Colin, 2007. ‘The Unity of a Tractarian Fact.’ Synthese 156: 231–51.
———, 2009. ‘Tractarian Objects and Logical Categories.’ Synthese 167: 145–61.
Kremer, Michael, 2010. ‘Sense and Reference: The Origins and Development of the Distinction.’ In Potter and Ricketts (2010), pp. 220–92.
Lebens, Samuel, 2017. ‘Russell and Bradley: Revisiting the Creation Narrative of Analytic Philosophy.’ Journal for the History of Analytical Philosophy 5: 1–20.
Linsky, Leonard, 1992. ‘The Unity of the Proposition.’ Journal for the History of Philosophy 30: 243–73.
Morris, Michael, 2008. Wittgenstein and the Tractatus. New York: Routledge.
Potter, Michael and Thomas Ricketts, eds., 2010. The Cambridge Companion to Frege. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Ramsey, Frank, 1925. ‘Universals.’ Mind 34: 401–17.
Resnik, Michael, 1976. ‘Frege’s Context Principle Revisited.’ In Studien zu Frege, vol. 3, edited by M. Schirn, pp. 35–49. Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt: Frommann-Holzboog.
Ricketts, Thomas, 1986. ‘Objectivity and Objecthood: Frege’s Metaphysics of Judgement.’ In Haaparanta and Hintikka (1986), pp. 65–96.
———, 2010. ‘Concepts, Objects, and the Context Principle.’ In Potter and Ricketts (2010), pp. 149–219.
Russell, Bertrand, 1899. ‘The Classification of Relations.’ Reprinted in The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell, vol. 2, edited by N. Griffin and A. C. Lewis. New York: Routledge, 1990.
———, 1903. The Principles of Mathematics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
———, 1904. ‘On Functions.’ In The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell, vol. 4, edited by A. Urquhart, pp. 96–110. New York: Routledge, 1994.
———, 1913. Theory of Knowledge: The 1913 Manuscript, edited by E. R. Eames, vol. 7 of The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell. London: Allen & Unwin, 1984.
———, 1918–1919. ‘The Philosophy of Logical Atomism.’ The Monist 28: 495–527; 29: 32–63, 190–222, 345–380. Reprinted in Logic and Knowledge, edited by R. C. Marsh, pp. 177–281. London: Allen & Unwin, 1956.
———, 1959. My Philosophical Development. London: Allen & Unwin.
Schaffer, Jonathan, 2010. ‘Monism: The Priority of the Whole.’ The Philosophical Review 119: 31–76.
Sluga, Hans, 1975. ‘Frege and the Rise of Analytic Philosophy.’ Inquiry 18: 471–98.
Stevens, Graham, 2005. The Russellian Origins of Analytic Philosophy. Oxford: Routledge.
Sullivan, Peter, 2000. ‘Wittgenstein’s Context Principle.’ In Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, edited by W. Vossenkuhl, pp. 65–88. Berlin: Akademie.
———, 2004. ‘Frege’s Logic.’ In Handbook of the History of Logic, vol. 3, edited by D. M. Gabbay and J. Woods, pp. 671–761. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Wittgenstein, Ludwig, 1922. Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, translated by C. K. Ogden. London: Kegan Paul.
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