The De re–De dicto Distinction: A Twelfth-Century Logical Discovery

The identification of two possible readings – de re and de dicto – of modal claims is considered one of the greatest achievements of Abelard’s logic. In the Dialectica and the Logica “Ingredientibus,” Abelard uses this distinction as a basis for his modal semantics and theory of modalities. Rather t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Binini, Irene (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2022
In: Vivarium
Year: 2022, Volume: 60, Issue: 2/3, Pages: 162-191
Further subjects:B medieval modal logic
B Peter Abelard
B William of Champeaux
B medieval theories of modalities
B de re–de dicto
B Joscelin of Soissons
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Summary:The identification of two possible readings – de re and de dicto – of modal claims is considered one of the greatest achievements of Abelard’s logic. In the Dialectica and the Logica “Ingredientibus,” Abelard uses this distinction as a basis for his modal semantics and theory of modalities. Rather than focusing on Abelard’s own theory, the aim of this article is to pay attention to a number of sources that – like Abelard’s logical works – are datable to the first decades of the twelfth century, to investigate whether the de re–de dicto distinction was already adopted and debated in them. It argues that, even if there is no systematic theorization of the distinction in these sources, Abelard’s contemporaries put forward a number of questions concerning the syntax and the signification of modal claims that contributed to set the stage for the distinction’s identification and later development.
ISSN:1568-5349
Contains:Enthalten in: Vivarium
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15685349-06002003