Undefined definite descriptions
pp. 39-44
in: Wolfgang Spohn, Brian Skyrms, Bas C. van Fraassen (eds), Existence and explanation, Berlin, Springer, 1991Abstract
Bertrand Russell [8] and John Bacon [1] argue that definite descriptions are not what they seem — referring terms on a par with names. Instead, they propose contextual definitions which serve to eliminate them. Russell analyses the sentence "the F Gs' as "there is at most one x such that Fx and there is at least one xsuch that Fx and Gx'. Bacon analyses it as "for all x if x uniquely Fs, then Gx. ' In either case all sentences containing definite descriptions are true or false even when there fails to be a unique entity described. For Russell "The present King of France is bald' is false, for Bacon true. Bacon's analysis, in particular, meshes nicely with a feature of generalizations: "All present Kings of France are bald' is also true when there are no present Kings of France.
