Will_Sawin comments on A Defense of Naive Metaethics - Less Wrong

8 Post author: Will_Sawin 09 June 2011 05:46PM

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Comment author: Will_Sawin 23 June 2011 01:39:16AM 0 points [-]

This is true, but my claim that words have to have a (possibly extensional) definition for us to use them, and that "right" has an extensional definition, stands.

Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 23 June 2011 10:09:12AM 0 points [-]

Does "whatever's written in that book" work as the appropriate kind of "extensional definition" for this purpose? If so, I agree, that's what I mean by "using without knowing". (As I understand it, it's not the right way of using the term "extensional definition", since you are not giving examples, you are describing a procedure for interacting with the fact in question.)

Comment author: Will_Sawin 23 June 2011 02:13:51PM *  0 points [-]

It's sort of subtle.

"Whatever's written in the book at the location given by this formula: "

defines a word totally in terms of other words, which I would call intensional.

"Whatever's written in THAT book, point point"

points at the meaning, what I would call extensional.