In his paper, Speaker’s Reference and Semantic Reference, Saul Kripke argues that the distinction between the attributive use and referential use of language does not, contra Donnellan, amount to a refutation of Russell’s account of definite descriptions. The purpose of this paper will be to describe the arguments which Kripke provides in favor of such a conclusion as well as various objections which can be raised against him. It will also be shown how Kripke can adequately respond to such criticisms. (more…)
