Between Sentences and Propositions: What Is the Role of Ideal Entities in Philosophy of Language?

Abstract

The role of ideal entities within semantic theory may be that of a good servant, but also that of a bad master. Trying to make do wholly without these entities would lead us to convoluted and eventually untenable notions of language; on the other hand adopting them too lightheartedly would lead us to theories that provide for a mere illusion of explanation.