Frege leaves us with a task: to elucidate the fundamental character of the way in which we know which spatio-temporal particular is in question when we use the first person by formulating a semantic account of the first person. This investigation takes up this task, approaching it through the following question,
Nagel’s question: is it possible for one to identify oneself as an element of the objective order? After thinking through the insights of Elizabeth Anscombe’s '
The First Person' and examining the collapse of Gareth Evans’ response to the question, the investigation draws on Sebastian Rödl’s '
Intentional Transaction' to answer Nagel’s question in the positive by formulating a semantic account of the first person and, as such, resolves its central task.
- Metaphysics
- Analytic philosophy
- German idealism
Identifying oneself as an element of the objective order: Nagel's question and Evans' response
McGrath, J. D. (Author). 12 Jun 2023
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis (MPhil)