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Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

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Published on: July 22, 2025

Testing the causal theory of reference.

Filippo Domaneschi¹, Massimiliano Vignolo², Simona Di Paola¹

¹University of Genoa, DISFOR - Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology Unit, Corso Podestà, 2, Room 3C3, 16128 Genova, Italy.

|January 16, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study experimentally validates the causal theory of reference for proper names. Findings confirm this theory for both people and geographical names, offering insights into linguistic reference assignment.

Keywords:

Causal theory of reference Experimental semantics Semantic reference Speaker's reference Theories of reference

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Area of Science:

Analytic Philosophy
Linguistics
Cognitive Science

Background:

The causal/historical theory of reference, popularized by Kripke's Naming and Necessity, is widely accepted in analytic philosophy.
This theory posits that the reference of a proper name is determined by a causal chain linking its use to an initial baptism.
Despite its prevalence, experimental validation of the causal theory of reference for proper names has been limited.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce and discuss a novel experimental methodology for testing the causal theory of reference for proper names.
To present empirical data from two experiments designed to investigate linguistic usage related to proper name reference.
To determine if experimental findings support or refute the causal theory of reference.

Main Methods:

The study employed a method focused on investigating actual linguistic usage to test the causal theory of reference.
Two experiments were conducted using this methodology, collecting data on how speakers assign reference to proper names.
Participants' reference assignments were analyzed in relation to their understanding of the causal chain of naming.

Main Results:

Experimental data collected provide confirmation for the causal theory of reference concerning both people proper names and geographical proper names.
A significant secondary finding indicates that the semantic domain influences reference assignment.
Speakers tend to assign semantic reference for people proper names, whereas they are prompted to assign speaker's reference for geographical proper names.

Conclusions:

The findings lend empirical support to the causal theory of reference for proper names in analytic philosophy.
The study highlights the role of semantic domain in modulating reference assignment, differentiating between personal and geographical names.
This research contributes to the empirical grounding of theories of reference and opens avenues for further experimental investigation in philosophy of language.