Research Group
in Analytic Philosophy

Abstract

Frege’s semantics is founded on a set of principles that have significantly influenced 20th-century semantics, notably the principle of propositional priority and the principle of context. The principle of propositional priority asserts that propositions, rather than sentences, serve as the primary bearers of logical relations, such as incompatibility and consequence. The principle of context states that words acquire meaning only within the context of a sentence. Additionally, a principle of assertion can be introduced, emphasizing that propositions are inherently assertable entities. Within this framework, I argue that Russell’s paradox cannot be formulated. If this is the case, it calls for a reassessment of the viability of Frege’s logicism.