________________
*Exists' and 'Predicate'
109
treated as attribute-referring term. Every property is an attribute, but every attribute is not a property. In this sense of an attribute anything which can be said about something may be considered as an attribute. Existence comes under the catagory of attribute, not under the catagory of property. A predicate expression refers to an attribute or to a property depending on the context. The third use of exists' may be called an attributive use. The different uses of 'exists' cannot be determined by the form of an existential proposition. The context of discourse or the hearerspeaker situation will determine the sense in which 'exists' has been used.
Foot Notes
1 G. E. Moore, "Is Existence a Predicate", Philosophical Papers, pp. 118-119. 2 B, Russel, Logic and Knowledge, pp. 233. 3 W. C. Kneale,"Is Existence a Predicate ?", reprinted in Feigl and Sellars
(eds.), Readings in Philosophical Analysis, P. 30. 4 G. Nakhnikian and W. C. Salmon, "Exists" as a Predicate, Philosophical
Review, Vol. 66, 1957, pp. 535-542. 5 G. Nakhmikian and W. C. Salmon, "Exists" as a Predicate', Philosophical
Review, Vol. 66, 1957, pp. 538, 6 R. Hall, S'Excluders", Analysis, 1959, pp. 1-7; F. B. Ebersole, "Whether Exis
tence is a Predicate", The Journal of Philosophy, 1963, pp. 509-524. 7 This argument is constructed following the Nyāya Philosophical System, But
this argument should not be equated with the Nyāya view. For the Nya ya concept of existence see J. L. Shaw, "The Nyāya on Existence, Knowability
and Nameability", Journal of Indian Philosophy, Vol. 5, 1978, pp. 255-266. 8 This argument is also constructed following some Indian philosophical systems, 9 M, Kiteley. "Is Existence a Predicate ?", Mind, 1964, pp. 364-373. 10 B. Russell, Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy, Chapter on Descriptions.
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
