Marco Ruffino: Chateaubriand on the Slingshot Arguments / Response: Did the Slingshots Hit the Mark? (original) (raw)

Abstract Marco Ruffino: The purpose of this paper is to discuss Chateaubriand's criticism of the so-called slingshot arguments, particularly of those versions proposed by Church (1956) and by Gödel (1944). I concentrate on two critical points made by Chateaubriand, and argue that they are not decisive against these versions of the slingshot. I also discuss Chateaubriand's hybrid theory of definite descriptions and argue that, despite its intrinsic interest, it cannot avoid the conclusion of the slingshot. Abstract response: In §§1-2 I argue that Marco misidentifies my main objections to the Church and Gödel slingshot arguments and that his defense of these arguments does not overcome those objections. In §3 I discuss his criticisms of my theory of descriptions in relation to Church’s argument.