Abstract
A definite description, called also an individual description, is, roughly speaking, a singular term, i.e. a term denoting exactly one object, which is not a proper name, given that proper names are construed as mere identifying labels attached to individuals without any reference to their properties (cf. “Name” §2.2). A definite description, instead, has a descriptive content concerning that set of properties of an individual which is characteristic of it, that is to say, is not shared by it with any other thing. That uniqueness of object is indicated in English by the definite article, e.g. the father of Plato, the capital of France, the highest mountain.
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Marciszewski, W. (1981). Description, Definite. In: Marciszewski, W. (eds) Dictionary of Logic as Applied in the Study of Language. Nijhoff International Philosophy Series, vol 9. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1253-8_23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1253-8_23
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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