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1892

Frege — One object, different modes of presentation

Does pointing to the same Venus make the meaning and information of the two expressions the same?

Gottlob FregeOn Sense and Reference

Evidence-backed account

“Ueber Sinn und Bedeutung” appeared in 1892 in volume 100 of Zeitschrift für Philosophie und philosophische Kritik, pages 25–50.

Open evidence

This is an evidence-linked editorial paraphrase, not a direct quotation.

  • Ueber Sinn und Bedeutung

    Gottlob Frege · 1892 · Zeitschrift für Philosophie und philosophische Kritik 100, pages 25–50; Max Planck public record and PDF

    Locator: Article metadata, pages 25–50

    Open source

Frege raises the puzzle that true statements of the forms a=a and a=b may concern the same identity while differing in cognitive significance.

Open evidence

This is an evidence-linked editorial paraphrase, not a direct quotation.

  • Ueber Sinn und Bedeutung

    Gottlob Frege · 1892 · Zeitschrift für Philosophie und philosophische Kritik 100, pages 25–50; Max Planck public record and PDF

    Locator: Pages 25–26

    Open source

  • Gottlob Frege

    Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

    Locator: Section 3.1.1

    Open source

The Morning Star and the Evening Star refer to the same Venus but present it differently, so discovering their identity can be informative.

Open evidence

This is an evidence-linked editorial paraphrase, not a direct quotation.

  • Ueber Sinn und Bedeutung

    Gottlob Frege · 1892 · Zeitschrift für Philosophie und philosophische Kritik 100, pages 25–50; Max Planck public record and PDF

    Locator: Pages 26–27

    Open source

  • Gottlob Frege

    Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

    Locator: Sections 3.1.1 and 3.2

    Open source

Frege proposes that names and descriptions have sense as well as denotation, and that sense helps explain cognitive significance.

Open evidence

This is an evidence-linked editorial paraphrase, not a direct quotation.

  • Ueber Sinn und Bedeutung

    Gottlob Frege · 1892 · Zeitschrift für Philosophie und philosophische Kritik 100, pages 25–50; Max Planck public record and PDF

    Locator: Pages 27–31

    Open source

  • Gottlob Frege

    Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

    Locator: Section 3.2

    Open source

On Frege’s distinction, an expression can have a sense while lacking an ordinary denotation.

Open evidence

This is an evidence-linked editorial paraphrase, not a direct quotation.

  • Ueber Sinn und Bedeutung

    Gottlob Frege · 1892 · Zeitschrift für Philosophie und philosophische Kritik 100, pages 25–50; Max Planck public record and PDF

    Locator: Pages 29–31

    Open source

  • Gottlob Frege

    Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

    Locator: Section 3.2

    Open source

Frege worked at Jena during this period, but the current sources do not establish the exact place where he composed this essay.

Open evidence

This is an evidence-linked editorial paraphrase, not a direct quotation.

  • Gottlob Frege

    Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

    Locator: Life and academic career at Jena

    Open source

  • Geschichte des Instituts für Philosophie

    Friedrich Schiller University Jena · Institutional history of philosophy at Jena

    Locator: Institutional history: Frege’s work at Jena

    Open source
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