Ostertag, Gary

Peijnenburg, Jeanne

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   University of GroningenLaw of Significant Assertion in Emily Elizabeth Constance Jones (1848-1922)Peijnenburg, Jeanne; Ostertag, GaryPublished in:The Encyclopedia of Concise Concepts by Women PhilosophersIMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite fromit. Please check the document version below.Document VersionPublisher's PDF, also known as Version of recordPublication date:2019Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research databaseCitation for published version (APA):Peijnenburg, J., & Ostertag, G. (2019). Law of Significant Assertion in Emily Elizabeth Constance Jones(1848-1922). In M. E. Waithe, & R. Hagengruber (Eds.), The Encyclopedia of Concise Concepts by WomenPhilosophers Paderborn University. https://historyofwomenphilosophers.org/ecc/#hwpsCopyrightOther than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of theauthor(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons).The publication may also be distributed here under the terms of Article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act, indicated by the “Taverne” license.More information can be found on the University of Groningen website: https://www.rug.nl/library/open-access/self-archiving-pure/taverne-amendment.Take-down policyIf you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediatelyand investigate your claim.Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons thenumber of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum.Download date: 07-06-2022How to cite this article: Jeanne Peijnenburg, Gary Ostertag & 2019. "Law of Significant Assertion in EmilyElizabeth Constance Jones (1848–1922)", in Waithe, Mary Ellen & Hagengruber, Ruth (eds.): Encyclopediaof Concise Concepts by Women Philosophers. DOI: (DOI pending) [12|11|2019].https://historyofwomenphilosophers.org/ecc/1/2Center for the History of Women Philosophers and ScientistsPaderborn University, GermanyLaw of Significant Assertion in EmilyElizabeth Constance Jones (1848–1922)Gary Ostertag & Jeanne PeijnenburgCity University of New York & University of GroningenThe  Law  of  Significant  Assertion  (Jones  1890,  1893–1894,  1911)  was  conceived  as  asolution to what we might call “the problem of the categorical proposition”, which Jonesencountered in the work of various philosophers, notably of Lotze (1888). For example, acategorical proposition like ‘All lions are quadrupeds’ asserts an identity between the classof lions and (a particular subclass of) quadrupeds. This raises a problem: merely assertingthe numerical identity of two classes of entities leaves unexplained that ‘All lions arequadrupeds’ can add to our knowledge. It is equivalent to saying that lions are lions orthat quadrupeds of a given class are quadrupeds of that same class (Frege 1892 makes asimilar observation, but focuses on proper names).Jones’ solution is that in a categorical proposition like ‘All S-things are P-things’ we have“identity of denotation in diversity of intension” (Jones 1911: 1, 14) – this is her law ofsignificant assertion. Although what makes the assertion that lions are quadrupeds true isindeed the aforementioned identity, which is trivial,  what gives the assertion genuinecontent, according to Jones, is the fact that things conceived of in one manner (‘a largetawny-colored cat that lives in prides’) are the same as things conceived of in another (‘ananimal with four feet’).Russell  (1905,  1911)  was  also  concerned  with  so-called  informative  identities  anddeveloped the theory of descriptions to explain them. On this theory, ‘Scott is the authorof Waverley’ is not, in fact, an identity sentence. Rather, it asserts that something is bothuniquely author  of  Waverley  and identical  with Scott.  Jones felt  that  this  theory stillpresupposes her  distinction between identity  of  denotation and diversity  in  intension(Jones 1911: 46–47). The debate between the two occurs in Russell (1911) and Jones(1910–11). See also Ostertag (2011) for discussion.How to cite this article: Jeanne Peijnenburg, Gary Ostertag & 2019. "Law of Significant Assertion in EmilyElizabeth Constance Jones (1848–1922)", in Waithe, Mary Ellen & Hagengruber, Ruth (eds.): Encyclopediaof Concise Concepts by Women Philosophers. DOI: (DOI pending) [12|11|2019].https://historyofwomenphilosophers.org/ecc/2/2Primary Sources:Frege,  Gottlob  1892.  Über  Sinn  und  Bedeutung.  Zeitschrift  für  Philosophie  undphilosophische  Kritik  100:  25–50.  Translated  as  “On  Sinn  and  Bedeutung”,  inBeaney, M. (ed.) 1997: The Frege Reader. Oxford: Blackwell.Jones, Emily Elizabeth Constance 1890. Elements of Logic as a Sciece of Propositions.Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark.___________ 1893–94. Import Of Categorical Propositions. Proceedings of the AristotelianSociety 2: 35–45.___________ 1910–11. A New Law of Thought. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, (N.S.)11: 166–186.___________ 1911. A New Law of Thought and Its Logical Bearings. Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press.Lotze, Hermann 1888. Logic, in Three Books: Volume One. Bosanquet, Bernard (trans.).Oxford: Clarendon Press.Russell, Bertrand 1905. On Denoting. Mind 14: 479–93.___________  1910–11.  Knowledge  by  Acquaintance  and  Knowledge  by  Description.Proceedings  of  the  Aristotelian  Society  11:  108–128.Secondary Sources:Ostertag,  Gary  2011.  Emily  Elizabeth  Constance Jones,  The Stanford  Encyclopedia  ofPhilosophy,  URL:  http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/emily-elizabeth-constance-jones/[10|04|2019].Waithe,  Mary Ellen & Cicero,  Samantha 1995.  E.E.  Constance Jones (1848–1922).  In:Waithe, Mary Ellen, A History of Women Philosophers, Volume 4. Dordrecht: Kluwer,25–50.Keywords:assertion, identity, Bertrand Russel, Hermann LotzeCopyright 2019

Law of Significant Assertion in Emily Elizabeth Constance Jones (1848-1922)

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Law of Significant Assertion in Emily Elizabeth Constance Jones (1848-1922)

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