FREGE: Sense and Reference Explained

Do you want regular philosophy lessons with me? I have limited spaces available to take on private students online. To find out more, email me on drnathanhawkins@ and tell me what you are interested in. One of Frege’s greatest contributions to the philosophy of language is his distinction between sense and reference. His claim is that the meaning of words comes in two distinct layers, and that layers each have a specific role in our knowledge about the world. In this video I explain this distinction and its importance by first discussing Frege’s older theory and why his dissatisfaction with it lead him to distinguish sense and reference. From this it becomes clearer why he drew the surprising consequences that he did regarding the nature of truth. This video is an introduction to a reasonably advanced, but highly interesting topic. It should be helpful for both those that find philosophy interesting and philosophy students alike. It will also help make sense of some of the debat