The problem of reference: From a Nagelian point of view

Abstract

How can referring terms, i.e. proper names, natural kind terms and definite descriptions, refer to objects in the world? Different philosophers have provided different and conflicting views concerning the nature of reference, which can be grouped basically into two main camps: the description theorists and the direct reference theorists. In this paper, I am going to attempt a Nagelian reconstruction of the problem of reference by interpreting how it arises from the clash of the subjective and objective point of views of human agents as competent language users. I am going to show that the Nagelian theory of reference I propose helps illuminate the nature of the debate of the two dominant theories.