"Somebody observes the Moon through a telescope. I compare the Moon itself to the meaning; it is the object of the observation, mediated by the real image projected by the object glass in the interior of the telescope, and by the retinal image of the observer. The former I compare to the sense, the latter is like the idea or experience."
— Frege, Gottlob (1848-1925)
Author
Work Title
Date
1892
Metaphor
"Somebody observes the Moon through a telescope. I compare the Moon itself to the meaning; it is the object of the observation, mediated by the real image projected by the object glass in the interior of the telescope, and by the retinal image of the observer. The former I compare to the sense, the latter is like the idea or experience."
Metaphor in Context
The meaning of a proper name is the object itself which we designate by using it; the idea which we have in that case is wholly subjective; in between lies the sense, which is indeed no longer subjective like the idea, but is yet not the object itself. The following analogy will perhaps clarify these relationships. Somebody observes the Moon through a telescope. I compare the Moon itself to the meaning; it is the object of the observation, mediated by the real image projected by the object glass in the interior of the telescope, and by the retinal image of the observer. The former I compare to the sense, the latter is like the idea or experience. The optical image in the telescope is indeed one-sided and dependent upon the stand point of observation, but it is still objective, in as much as it can be used by several observers.
(p.60)
(p.60)
Categories
Provenance
Reading Ayer's A Dictionary of Philosophical Quotations
Citation
Frege, Gottlob. "On Sense and Meaning," Philosophical Writings. Ed. P. Geach and M. Black.
Date of Entry
12/05/2003
Date of Review
05/05/2009
