Ep 10: Sense and Reference - The Superman Paradox

 

What’s in a name? In his 1892 paper, “Sense and Reference,” the German philosopher Gottlob Frege gave an unconventional answer to this question. Up until that point, most philosophers thought of names as simple labels or pointers that referred to physical objects. If you wanted to know the meaning of “Clark Kent,” you just had to look at the guy typing away behind his desk at the Daily Planet. But Frege asked us to think about the fact that sometimes a single object has two names that mean very different things. For example, “Superman” refers to the same physical object as “Clark Kent,” but Superman can fly, while Clark Kent can’t. In this episode we explore Frege’s response to the puzzle of how names work. We also get the inside scoop on some of DC Comic’s most ridiculous super villains, learn about Frege’s mysterious secret diaries and complete a crash course in how elections should really work.