“存在”何以不能获得逻辑谓词的地位

Why Cannot“Existence”Obtain the Status of a Logical Predicate

非存在悖论是说不存在的东西是存在的,这当然是不可接受的。分析哲学家们分析了引起这一悖论的两个原因:一是出于对无意义的担忧而否定空名的存在,二是将“存在”一词当作逻辑谓词。针对这两个原因,他们指出必须将名称的意义和所指区别开来,并且重申了康德关于“存在”不是谓词的观点。弗雷格认为,存在不是对象的性质,而是概念的性质;罗素认为存在不是对象的性质,而是他称之为命题函项的性质。奎因继承和完善了弗雷格和罗素的工作,同样否定存在是对象的性质,甚至他不再使用“性质”这一术语,而是致力于澄清“a存在”这个说法的含义所在,这便是奎因的“存在就是成为约束变项的值”的本体论承诺口号。

The non existence paradox states that something that does not exist exists,which is of course unacceptable.Philosophers of analysis have analyzed two reasons that lead to this paradox:one is to deny the existence of empty names out of concern for meaninglessness,and the other is to use the word“existence”as a logical predicate.For these two reasons,they pointed out the need to distinguish the meaning and referent of a name,and reiterated Kants view that“existence”is not a predicate.Frege believed that existence is not a property of objects,but a property of concepts;Russell believed that existence is not a property of an object,but a property that he calls a propositional function.Quinn inherited and improved the work of Frege and Russell,equally denying that existence is a property of objects,and even no longer using the term“property”,but striving to clarify the meaning of the term“existence”.This is Quinns ontological commitment slogan of“existence is the value that constrains variables”.