Redmon on ‘Exists’

Abstract

. . . 'exists' as used when we have a sentence of the form [(i)] or [(2)] when 'a' is a proper name, tells us something about the name 'a'. Granting that 'a' has a use in some context (language), sentences of the above form tell us in which language 'a' has a use. Since we are normally speaking in the language of facts, [(2)] tells us that 'a' has no use in this language, and by implication that it has its use in nonfactual, i.e. fictional contexts or languages (p. 59).