Quiz for today

25 March 2009

Here is today’s quiz question. Which master of exposition said this, and where?

After arguing for years, unconvincingly, that semantic value (properly understood) is not affected by substitution, I hit upon a brilliant, new, and completely successful, strategy: argue, instead, that semantic value is affected by substitution.

Here’s a hint: the quote occurs after in the context of a discussion of proper names.

(Upon reflection, that’s not much of a hint, is it?)

Post your guess as to who I’m quoting, in the comments form on this post. (You can post an informed answer too, if you like, but I suspect a guess would be even more fun.) The most interesting answer will receive a prize in the honest-to-goodness snail mail.