<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This paper will critically examine two solutions to Frege’s puzzle: the Millian-Russellian solution proposed by Salmon and Braun, which invokes non-semantic modes of presentation (guises, ways of believing or the like); and Fine’s relationalist solution, which appeals to semantic coordination. Special attention will be devoted to discussing the conception of modes of presentation as mental files and to elucidating the nature of coordination. A third solution to Frege’s puzzle will be explored which, like Salmon’s and Braun’s, adopts the Millian-Russellian semantics but, like Fine’s, involves coordination instead of modes of presentation; however, coordination will not be conceived as a semantic relation but as a cognitive and subjective relation, which provides no contribution to semantic content. This novel Millian-Russellian account involving cognitive coordination will be labelled cognitive relationism.</p></abstract>

This paper will critically examine two solutions to Frege’s puzzle: the Millian-Russellian solution proposed by Salmon and Braun, which invokes non-semantic modes of presentation (guises, ways of believing or the like); and Fine’s relationalist solution, which appeals to semantic coordination. Special attention will be devoted to discussing the conception of modes of presentation as mental files and to elucidating the nature of coordination. A third solution to Frege’s puzzle will be explored which, like Salmon’s and Braun’s, adopts the Millian-Russellian semantics but, like Fine’s, involves coordination instead of modes of presentation; however, coordination will not be conceived as a semantic relation but as a cognitive and subjective relation, which provides no contribution to semantic content. This novel Millian-Russellian account involving cognitive coordination will be labelled cognitive relationism.

Frege’s Puzzle and Cognitive Relationism: An Essay on Mental Files and Coordination

Disputatio

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

This paper will critically examine two solutions to Frege’s puzzle: the Millian-Russellian solution proposed by Salmon and Braun, which invokes non-semantic...

Frege’s Puzzle and Cognitive Relationism: An Essay on Mental Files and Coordination

Published Online: Jul 15, 2020

Page range: 1 - 40

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/disp-2020-0001

Keywords
Frege’s puzzle, Millian Russellianism, mental files, semantic relationism, cognitive coordination

© 2020 Paolo Bonardi, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Frege’s Puzzle and Cognitive Relationism: An Essay on Mental Files and Coordination

Published Online: Jul 15, 2020

Page range: 1 - 40

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/disp-2020-0001

KeywordsFrege’s puzzle, Millian Russellianism, mental files, semantic relationism, cognitive coordination

© 2020 Paolo Bonardi, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Frege’s puzzle, Millian Russellianism, mental files, semantic relationism, cognitive coordination