Language, Names, and Information

"Saul Kripke's classic lectures, Naming and Necessity, changed the way we think about reference and intentionality, but it remains controversial just what the basic lesson of his work should be. In this book, Frank Jackson, with his characteristic clarity of mind and down-to-earth style of argument, articulates the view that Kripke's insights and arguments can be reconciled with a version of the description theory that were the focus of his attack. Jackson clarifies the terrain by putting the issue in the wider context of the role of language in the exchange of information. Much of what he says is persuasive, and all of it is challenging, stimulating and clarifying."
—Robert Stalnaker, Massachusetts Institute of Technology