A man walks into a bar. A causal theorist of language is the bartender that night. The man approaches the bartender in search of a woman.
Man: "I heard that I could get some play around here. Who's the sluttiest girl in this place?"
Bartender (C): "If you're looking for some action, you should talk to Fiona."
Man: "Who's Fiona?"
Bartender (C): "Fiona names that which was so-named in this world, but could be differently named in some other possible world, and so anything I tell you about her would only be contingent and secondary to her direct reference."
Man: "Thanks a lot, dick!"
Clearly pissed off, the man curses the bartender and leaves, but returns the next night. A descriptive theorist of language is the bartender that night. The man approaches the bartender in search of a woman.
Man: "I heard that I could get some play around here. Who's the sluttiest girl in this place?"
Bartender (D): "If you're looking for some action, you should talk to Fiona."
Man: "Who's Fiona?"
Bartender: "She's the woman with the six teeth and the eye patch at the end of the bar."
Man: "Thanks!
Bartender (D): "You're welcome."
Man: "You know, the bartender last night wasn't nearly as straightforward with me."
Bartender (D): "That's just how he gets his goat off! He's always trying to jerk a flaccid designator into a rigid one."
Summary:
- If you don't know what a referent for something is, you learn what it is by a description of it, not by masturbating possible worlds semantics.