Skip to main content

Ostensive Definition as a Prototype of Real Definition

  • Chapter
Consciousness, Knowledge, and Truth
  • 101 Accesses

Abstract

The contention of this paper is to defend the so-called real definition as a perfectly commonsensical procedure, free of that aura of a mystery which some authors impute to it. Those authors, following Tadeusz Kotarbiński (1929, 1966) who developed some philosophical ideas of Leśniewski (1991), used to claim that only nominal definitions are genuine ones, and to charge the theory of real definitions with an alleged metaphysical committment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Ajdukiewicz, Kazimierz: 1958, ‘Three concepts of definition’, Logique et Analyse,vol. 1, no. 3–4, 114–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ajdukiewicz, Kazimierz: 1974, Pragmatic Logic, transi. by O. Wojtasiewicz, PWN and Reidel, Warsaw and Dordrecht.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ajdukiewicz, Kazimierz: 1984,‘On definitions’, Dialectics and Humanism, no. 2 (the special issue “Anthology of Contemporary Polish Philosophy” 236–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, J.L.: 1993, ‘Hilbert’sε-operator and classical logic’, Journal of Philosophical Logic, No. 1, pp. 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beth, E.W.: 1959, The Foundations of Mathematics, North-Holland, Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carnap, Rudolf: 1956, Meaning and Necessity, University of Chicago Press, Chicago; 2nd ed. enlarged with Supplement discussing the idea of meaning postulates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curry, Haskell B.: 1958, ‘On definitions in formal systems’, Logique et Analyse, vol. 1, no. 3–4, 105–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gergonne, J.D.: 1918–19, ‘Essai sur la théorie des définitions’, Annales de Math’ematique, vol. 9, 1–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilbert, David and Paul Bernays: Die Grundlagen der Mathematik,Springer, Berlin 1934 (vol. 1), 1939 (vol. 2).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotarbińska, Janina: 1960 ‘On ostensive definitions’, Philosophy of Science, vol. 27, no. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotarbiński, Tadeusz: 1966, Gnosiology: The Scientific Approach to the Theory of Knowledge, transl. by O. Wojtasiewicz, Pergamon Press and Ossolineum, Oxford and Wroclaw; 1st original edition (Polish) in 1929.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leśniewski, Stanislaw: 1991, Collected Works, edited by Jan T. Srzednicki, S.J. Surma, and D.I. Barnett, with Bibliography by V.F. Rickey, Kluwer, Dordrecht etc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marciszewski, Witold: 1966, ‘Reductionism in the light of an analysis of observation statements’, Studia Filozoficzne, no. 3, 106–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marciszewski, Witold: 1981, ‘Definition’ in W. Marciszewski (ed.), Dictionary of Logic as Applied in the Study of Language: Concepts, Methods,Theories, Nijhoff, The Hague etc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, Richard: 1954, Definition, Clarendon Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sierpiński, Wacław (with collaboration of Jerzyłós): 1955, Arytmetyka Teoretyczna (Theoretical Arithmetic), PWN, Warszawa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suppes, Patrick: 1957, Introduction to Logic, Van Nostrand, Toronto etc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Twardowski, Kasimir: 1894, Zur Lehre vom Inhalt und Gegenstand der Vorstellungen, Wien 1894; reprint publ. by Philosophia Verlag, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Marciszewski, W. (1993). Ostensive Definition as a Prototype of Real Definition. In: Poli, R. (eds) Consciousness, Knowledge, and Truth. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2060-9_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2060-9_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4913-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-2060-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics