Abstract
In this essay I will consider two theses that are associated with Frege,and will investigate the extent to which Frege “really” believed them.Much of what I have to say will come as no surprise to scholars of thehistorical Frege. But Frege is not only a historical figure; he alsooccupies a site on the philosophical landscape that has allowed hisdoctrines to seep into the subconscious water table. And scholars in a widevariety of different scholarly establishments then sip from thesedoctrines. I believe that some Frege-interested philosophers at various ofthese establishments might find my conclusions surprising.
Some of these philosophical establishments have arisen from an educationalmilieu in which Frege is associated with some specific doctrine at theexpense of not even being aware of other milieux where other specificdoctrines are given sole prominence. The two theses which I will discussillustrate this point. Each of them is called “Frege's Principle,” but byphilosophers from different milieux. By calling them “milieux” I do not want to convey the idea that they are each located at some specificsocio-politico-geographico-temporal location. Rather, it is a matter oftheir each being located at different places on the intellectuallandscape. For this reason one might (and I sometimes will) call them“(interpretative) traditions.”
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Pelletier, F.J. Did Frege Believe Frege's Principle?. Journal of Logic, Language and Information 10, 87–114 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026594023292
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026594023292