摘 要： 关于名称的描述论和直接指称论之间的“战争”已经持续了30多年。一种新的名称理论——社会历史的因果描述论（SHCD）基于下述语言观：语言是社会性的，约定俗成的和有生命的。SHCD由下面6个论题组成：（1）名称与对象的关系始于广义的初始命名仪式。（2）在关于名称的因果历史链条上，所传递的首先是并且主要是关于名称所指对象的描述性信息。（3）被一个语言共同体所认可的那些描述性信息的集合构成了名称的意义。（4）相对于认知者的实践需要，在作为名称意义的描述集合中可以排出某种优先序：某些描述比其他描述更占有中心地位。（5）名称都有所指,但名称的所指不一定都是物理个体,也包括抽象对象、虚构对象和内涵对象。（6）若考虑到说话者的意向、特定话语的背景条件以及相关的知识网络等因素，由名称的意义甚至是其一部分意义也可以确定名称的所指。SHCD简单回应了克里普克对描述论的那些批评以及其他一些逻辑疑难。SHCD与克里普克的名称理论的分歧和对立,实际上源自两者在语言观上更为根本的分歧和对立。
关键词： 语言的社会性、约定性和历史性； 社会历史的因果描述论； 克里普克； 认知论证； 语义论证； 模态论证
Social-historic Causal Descriptivism: A Conception of Language and Its New Theory of Names
CHEN Bo
Abstract: This paper firstly surveys the more than thirty years“war” between descriptivism and direct reference theory about names, and then clarifies one conception of language, emphasizing that language is social, conventional and animated. Based on such a conception of language, this paper develops a new theory of names, i.e. social-historic causal descriptivism, which consists of the following six theses: （1） The relation between a name and an object begins with an initial baptism. （2） On the causal-historic chain about a name, what is transferred is firstly and mainly some informative descriptions about what the name denotes. （3） The sense of a name consists in an open collection of informative descriptions accepted by a linguistic community. （4） Based on the speakers’ practical needs there is some kind of orders or levels on the collection of informative descriptions, that is, some descriptions are more important than others. （5） All names have their referents, which include existent objects, abstract objects, fictional objects and intensional objects. （6） Due to the background of a discourse, relevant network of knowledge and speaker’s intention, what a name denotes can be determined by the sense or partial sense of the name. Finally, this paper explains how to reply to Kripke’s criticism of descriptivism and other logical puzzles by means of social-historic causal descriptivism. In conclusion, the difference and conflict between the author of this paper and Kripke on theory of names in fact originates from the more radical difference and conflict between both sides on conceptions of language.
Key words: the sociality; conventionality and historicity of language; social-historic causal descriptivism; Kripke; epistemic argument; semantic argument; modal argument
