Concept
Causal theory of reference
Overview
A causal theory of reference or historical chain theory of reference is a theory of how terms acquire specific referents based on evidence. Such theories have been used to describe many referring terms, particularly logical terms, proper names, and natural kind terms. In the case of names, for example, a causal theory of reference typically involves the following claims:
a name's referent is fixed by an original act of naming (also called a "dubbing" or, by Saul Kripke, an "initial baptism"), whereupon the name becomes a rigid designator of that object.
later uses of the name succeed in referring to the referent by being linked to that original act via a causal chain.
Weaker versions of the position (perhaps not properly called "causal theories") claim merely that, in many cases, events in the causal history of a speaker's use of the term, including when the term was first acquired, must be considered to correctly assign references to the speaker's words.
Causal theories of names became popular during the 1970s, under the influence of work by Saul Kripke and Keith Donnellan. Kripke and Hilary Putnam also defended an analogous causal account of natural kind terms.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
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"A, B, C,... in the past, together with X now, cause Y now." For it cannot be successfully maintained that our understanding of a word, for example, is an actual existent content of the mind at times when we are not thinking of the word. It is merely what may be called a "disposition," i.e. it is capable of being aroused whenever we hear the word or happen to think of it. A "disposition" is not something actual, but…
Bertrand Russell, The Analysis of Mind
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The particular which is inferred may be uniquely determined by the causal law, or may be only described in such general terms that many different particulars might satisfy the description. This depends upon whether the constant relation affirmed by the causal law is one which only one term can have to the data, or one which many terms may have. If many terms may have the relation in question, science will not be…
Bertrand Russell, Our Knowledge of the External World as a Field for Scientific Method in Philosophy
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It is to be borne in mind, moreover, that we have never dreamed of offering the preceding observations as a complete theory of the concept of causality. The question is too complex to be resolved thus. The principle of causality has been understood differently in different times and places; in a single society, it varies with the social environment and the kingdoms of nature to which it is applied.[1189] So it would…
Émile Durkheim, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life
Close in meaning to Causal theory of reference; the term itself is not named.
Philosophers who discussed Causal theory of reference
Related ideas
- Naming and Necessity
- Natural kind
- John Searle
- Twin Earth thought experiment
- Marco Polo
- Reference
- Sense and reference
- Donald Davidson (philosopher)
- Semantic externalism
- Causality
- Descriptivist theory of names
- David Lewis (philosopher)
- Bertrand Russell
- Keith Donnellan
- Logic
- Saul Kripke
- Gottlob Frege
- Thought experiment
- Definite description
- Rigid designator
- Proper noun
- Hilary Putnam
- Contradiction
- Possible world
Place in the tradition
Part of Outline of philosophy.
Narrower topics:
- Marco Polo
- Gareth Evans (philosopher)
- Photograph
- Michael Devitt
- Mark Sainsbury (philosopher)
- Stathis Psillos
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