Kripke: Lecture 1 [Christina Sanchez]

Agree

"...Well, then, in fact we find that it's not a star, but is the planet Venus and that Hesperus and Phosphorus are in fact the same. So we express this by 'Hesperus is Phosphorus'" (Kripke 28-29).

Here, Kripke is suggesting that there can be two different names referring to the same thing. We can associate different descriptions with the two distinct names, and the same object can satisfy the two descriptions. In this example, 'Hersperus' and 'Phosphorus' are names for the same thing, Venus, but one is referring to it in the morning, and one in the evening, however, both names are still referring to the exact same object. I agree with this statement because in our language, we do have many different names to refer to the same object, and even though the two names are different, in context or from common sense, we know exactly what each name is referring to. Objects can be referred to by different names due to the context of the situation, and because the descriptions might have the same general direction to them, we will know the two names are referring to the same object.

Disagree

"...because the term 'horse', means in English 'the things called "horses"'. Similarly with any other expression which might be used in English. Since it's trifling to be told that sages are called 'sages', 'sages' just means 'the people called "sages"' (Kripke 69).

This quote is talking about how proper names are difficult to explain to a person regarding why they are named what they are. Maybe only some people called them this, as Kripke refers to Socrates and how he might have only been most known by 'Socrates', but he may have gone by other names, as well. Knowing what something is called or named without being referred to can be a difficult pathway to understand. I somewhat disagree with parts of this because even though I am starting to understand how referring is important in the process of naming, we, as humans, are still brought into the world learning different names for different things without necessarily understanding the meaning behind the name until we really think about it for ourselves. Horses are horses, and when we first learn about them, and sometimes forever, we do not have any idea why horses are called 'horses', but that is just what they are called until we pick the name apart philosophically.