Skip to main content
Log in

Kripke, Putnam and the introduction of natural kind terms

Acta Analytica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper, I will outline some of the important points made by Kripke and Putnam on the meaning of natural kind terms. Their notion of the baptism of natural kinds- the process by which kind terms are initially introduced into the language — is of special concern here. I argue that their accounts leave some ambiguities that suggest a baptism of objects and kinds that is free of additional theoretical commitments. Both authors suggest that we name the stuff and then let the scientists tell us what properties it really has, and hence what the real meaning is. I contend that such a barren baptism, taken at face value, cannot succeed in the semantic roles it has been assigned and that softening the stance on baptism suggests a more subtle and complex relation between reference and theoretical commitment than has emerged thus far.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Geach, P. T. (1956).Mental Acts, Their Content and Their Objects. London, Routledge & Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, Anil. (1980).The Logic of Common Nouns: An Investigation in Quantified Modal Logic, New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hempel, Carl and Paul Oppenheim. (1948). “Studies in the Logic of Explanation.”Philosophy of Science 15:567–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kripke, Saul. (1972)Naming and Necessity. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell Pub.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mellor, Hugh. (1977). “Natural Kinds.”British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 28:299–312

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, Hilary, (1962) “It Ain’t Necessarily So.”Journal of Philosophy 59:658–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, Hilary, (1966). “The Analytic and Synthetic.” InMinn. Studies in the Philosophy of Science, V. VIII. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, Hilary, (1973). “Meaning and Reference.” InJournal of Philosophy 70:699–711.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, Hilary, (1975). “Is Semantics Possible?” InMind, Language and Reality: Philosophical Papers, Volume 2. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 139–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quine, W.V.O. (1969). “Natural Kinds.” InOntological Relativity and Other Essays. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rorty, Richard. (1982). “Introduction.” InConsequences of Pragmatism: Essays 1972–1980, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, Michael P. (2002). “The Curious Role of Natural Kind Terms.”Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 83:81–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, Crispin and Hale, Robert, eds. (1999).A Companion to the Philosophy of Language. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell Pub.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wolf, M.P. Kripke, Putnam and the introduction of natural kind terms. Acta Analytica 17, 151 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03177512

Download citation

  • Received:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03177512

Keywords

Navigation