Comments on Moravcsik’s Paper

Abstract

The problem of finding a satisfactory analysis of sentences containing mass terms has attracted an increasing amount of attention in the past few years.¹ Most of the recent literature springs from dissatisfaction with the account offered by Quine (1960). More specifically, the uneasiness stems from the fact that Quine treats mass terms as singular terms when they occur before the copula and as general terms when they occur after. Thus ‘Snow is white’ is regimented into the form ‘White(s)’, while ‘The stuff in the yard is snow’ is regimented into ‘Snow (ɩx(x is in the yard))’.

This note was written while the author was an NSF Fellow. David Rosenthal and Tyler Burge have helped to clarify my view by attempting to change it. I am also indebted to Burge for the opportunity to read an unpublished paper of his which helped to stimulate this note.