This is what he calls the theory of objects or gegenstandtheorie. Alexius meinong, the shepherd of nonbeing dale jacquette. Traditional metaphysics treats of objects that exist as well as of those that merely subsist bestehen but, having a prejudice in favor of the. Meinong concerned himself, in short critical notes, with husserls phenomenology, that is, the first volume of ideas. This book examines the thought of alexius minong, a philosopher known for his theory of reference and unconventional prophecy. Meinong distinguished between two sorts of being or sein. Of all these philosophers, meinong and husserl were most closely associated. Meinong, the theory of objects, translation of uber gegenstandstheorie by isaac levi, d. Therefore, there is an object that is both round and not round, or round.
Pdf meinongs multifarious being and russells ontological. Principle of characterizationthe most controversial principle of alexius meinong s theory of objects. On the other hand, there are continuing problems and controversies concerning contemporary russellian and meinongian theories, many of them. We provide the original preface by routley, followed by chapter 1. This science about entities objects as such, or about pure objects, i have called the theory of objects. All of these are easily available at nonoutrageous prices. It contains all the basic information concerning meinong s theory of objects with a special focus upon objectives, which are meinong s propositions. Exploring meinongs jungle and beyond the sylvan jungle.
Theory and history of ontology can also be read or downloaded as ebook. I intend to take into account meinong s theory of objects from a point of view allowed by the author himself, when he agrees that the proper place for such a doctrine is the theory of knowledge. Its place in meinong s theory of objects and its significance in contemporary philosophical logic modern european philosophy. On meinong s theory of objects in the beginning of the century the great realist philosopher, alexius meinong, taught a doctrine of aussersein, of an infinite realm of objects quite indifferent to the distinctions between being and nonbeing, between reality and unreality, between what is. The two basic theses of meinong s theory of objects gegenstandstheorie are 1 there are objects that do not exist and 2 every object that does not exist is yet constituted in some way or other and thus may be made the subject of true predication. Meinong on the phenomenology of assumption springerlink. If the inline pdf is not rendering correctly, you can download the pdf file here. Realism and the background of phenomenology new york. Pdf meinong on aesthetic objects and the knowledgevalue of. If thought is free to assume anything, even nonactual and metaphysically predicationally impossible intended objects, as meinong supposes, then. Chisholm and is taken from a book edited by chisholm titled realism and the background of phenomenology free press 1960. The chapters cover a natural progression of topics, beginning with the origins of gegenstandstheorie, meinong s theory of objects, and his discovery of assumptions as a fourth category of mental states to supplement his teacher franz brentanos references to. Alexius meinong on objects of higher order and husserls.
Russell famously objected that these impossiblia were apt to infringe the law of noncontradiction. An outline of his conception of truth, which is classified as firmly. Oct 12, 1995 meinong s theory of object and values findlay, j. Meinong, alexius meinong gesamtausgabe, eight volumes, edited by rudolf haller and rudolf kindinger in collaboration with.
Russells critique of meinong s theory of objects, also known as the russellian view, became the established view on the problem of nonexistent objects. From realism and the background of phenomenology, ed. An object, conceived independently of its ontic status, is supposed to be identified by its constitutive properties, and possesses those properties, consequently, independently of its ontic status. His theory of objects, now known as meinongian object theory, is based around the purported empirical observation that it is possible to think about something, such as a golden mountain, even though that object does not exist.
Being in two object theories across traditions at the turn of the 20th century. This account of meinong s theory of objects is badly mistaken. A century after on denoting was published, the debate it initiated continues to rage. One side is physical, which the word existence applies to, and the reverse side is its mental correspondent, which is the whole concept of the object, meaning a subject filled with all of the actual. While many of the phenomenological currents in philosophy allegedly utilize a peculiar method, the type under consideration here is characterized by franz brentanos ambition to make philosophy scientific by adopting no other method but that of natural science. Meinong sees the major difficulties by accepting that aesthetic objects are objects of higher order in the. The consistent formalization of meinong s object theory in recent mathematical logic requires either plural modes of predication, or distinct categories of nuclear or constitutive and extranuclear or nonconstitutive properties. For so reads one of meinong s most frequently cited theses the objects considered purely qua objects are neutral concerning their being or nonbeing.
Its place in meinong s theory of objects and its significance in contemporary philosophical logic. All objects which have being are completely determined 152 ii. Whatever can be the target of a mental act, meinong calls an object. Could anyone please recommend a book to begin to learn about meinong s theory of objects and meinong s jungle.
Meinong on aesthetic objects and the knowledgevalue of emotions. If witasek is right, much of meinong s theory concerning aesthetic objects falls apart. Antirealism and the theory of descriptions graham stevens 3. In this first volume of the sylvan jungle, the editors present a scholarly edition of the first chapter, exploring meinong s jungle, of richard routleys plus page book, exploring meinong s jungle and beyond. Lukas franciszkiewicz extracts from online lecture. On this view meinong is expressly denying that existence is a property of an object. The only way to defend the acceptance of the thesis and, more generally, of meinong s theory of objects should be found in its capacity to account for facts about the intentionality of thought.
He then criticises alexius meinong s theory of objects which, according to russell, is ontologically promiscuous and selfcontradictory. Meinong s phenomenology of assumption is discussed as key to the intuitive basis for his object theory comprehension principle, by which the semantic referential domain is populated with distinct identity conditionsatisfying existent and nonexistent intended objects, perhaps among at least one other category. Nonexistent objects meinong and contemporary philosophy. Many thanks for your friendly letter, and for the article theory of objects. In this book meinong s theory of objects is presented in its historical development and investigated within the context of his theory of intentionality. The founder of gegenstandstheorie,the theory of intended objects, meinong understood his contributions to metaphysics, philosophical psychology, logic, semantics, epistemology, and value theory, as a systematic continuation of brentanos realist empiricist intentionalism. Alexius meinong 78 the object gegenstandtaken as such and in generalwe wish to know whether, among the sciencesthat are accreditedby scientific tradition, there is one within which we could attempt a theoretical considerationof the object as such, or from which we could at least demandthis. Adhering closely to original texts, the contributors explore meinong s roots in the school of brentano, complex theories such as the theory of intentional reference and direct reference, and ways. In chapter 2, nicholas griffin argues that sylvans project was insufficiently radical with his essay, why the original theory of items didnt quite go far enough. Meinong s phenomenology of assumption is discussed as key to the intuitive basis for his object theory comprehension principle, by which the semantic referential domain is populated with. Apr, 2020 meinong is primarily interested in intentional ontology, not in philosophical semantics or philosophical psychology. Meinong s theory of meaning and his epistemological views are discussed in detail. One side is physical, which the word existence applies to, and the reverse side is its mental correspondent, which is the whole concept of the object.
On the one hand, there is a mass of new historical scholarship, about both russell and meinong, which has not circulated very far beyond specialist scholars. Going against the quinean orthodoxy, routleys aim was to support meinong s idea that we can truthfully refer to nonexistent and even impossible objects, like superman. Nonexistent objects meinong and contemporary philosophy k. Its place in meinong s theory of objects and its significance in contemporary philosophical logic, cambridge, cambridge university press. The heart of meinongian object theory is its intensional identity conditions for existent and nonexistent objects alike. Meinongs theory of objects in relation to platoleibniz.
Theory of objects, b is not the sort of thing meinong should have said after. Peirces categories as a theory of objects more advanced. Meinong s theory of objects in relation to platoleibniz meinong. None of the objects discussed above is created by us, nor does any of them depend in any way upon our thinking. Meinong speaks of auxiliary incomplete objects situated between the subject and the object. Criticism of meinong s conception of relations and complexes as objects of higher order. Its place in meinongs theory of objects and its significan. The debate between russell and meinong lasted for good part of the first two decades of 20th century.
A cantorian argument against freges and early russells theories of descriptions kevin c. This book explores the thought of alexius meinong, a philosopher known for. It deals also with specific ontological issues raised by the tradition. Pdf this paper discusses the problems of an ontological value of the variable in russells philosophy. Meinong s theory of objects by john niemeyer findlay, meinong s theory of objects books available in pdf, epub, mobi format. Alexius meinong stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. This book presents an historical and conceptual reconstruction of the theories developed by meinong and a group of philosophers and experimental psychologists in graz at the turn of the 19th century. Closer readers of his work, however, accept that meinong held the view that objects are indifferent to being and that they stand beyond being and nonbeing. In metaphysics and the philosophy of language, the round square copula is a common example of the dual copula strategy used in reference to the problem of nonexistent objects as well as their relation to problems in modern philosophy of language the issue arose, most notably, between the theories of contemporary philosophers alexius meinong see meinong s 1904 book investigations in theory. Meinong s theory of objects in relation to platoleibniz. Brentano became particularly influential in teaching his students such as carl stumpf, anton marty, alexius meinong, and edmund.
The semantics of intentionality and the psychology of intentionality are not strictly speaking excluded by the theory of objects. As in leibniz, and his monads, the world is dual like a coin. Pdf meinong on aesthetic objects and the knowledgevalue. Traditional metaphysics treats of objects that exist as well as of those that merely subsist bestehen but, having a prejudice in favor of the real, tends to neglect those objects that have no kind of being at all.
The chapters cover a natural progression of topics, beginning with the origins of gegenstandstheorie, meinong s theory of objects, and his discovery of assumptions as a. For meinong, what an object is, its real essence, depends on the properties of the object. Mallys heresy and the logic of meinong s object theory. Meinong s theory of objects commits him to impossiblia. Closer examination, however, reveals in meinong s works important elements of the mediator theory. Its place in meinongs theory of objects and its significance in. Enlarged by a new preface, two chapters on meinong s theory of value and emotional presentations, and a concluding appraisal of meinong. These chapters cover the natural progression of subjects, from the roots of gegenstandstheorie, to minongs theory of objects, and to the discovery of his assumptions as. Meinongs multifarious being and russells ontological variable. Jacquette, alexius meinong, the shepherd of non being. The theory of complexes that is, the theory of wholes and other such objects of higher order upon which meinong wrote at length, also falls within the theory of objects. On meinong s theory of objects in the beginning of the century the great realist philosopher, alexius meinong, taught a doctrine of aussersein, of an infinite realm of objects quite indifferent to the distinctions between being and nonbeing, between reality and unreality, between what is and what is not the case. An object, conceived independently of its ontic status, is supposed to be identified by its constitutive properties, and possesses those.
The notion of pure object, which is the object free of any being, is the fundamental piece of meinong s theory of objects. Frege on definite descriptions as singular terms francis jeffry pelletier and bernard linsky 4. Publication date 1904 topics knowledge, theory of, psychology publisher leipzig. This book explores the thought of alexius meinong, a philosopher known for his unconventional theory of reference and predication. Discussion of meinong s views on relational properties 153 iii. Both of these criticisms stem from meinong s theory that there is an object, whether it exists or subsists, for every set of properties.
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