[FOM] Godel numbers, use, and mention

[mjmurphy]

Richard Heck wrote:



> (5) Ralph wants [Ortcutt to eat dirt],
> then it is not clear to me whether, if Ortcutt is Smith, it follows,
> logically, that Ralph wants Smith to eat dirt. Perhaps not. But there
> may be an ambiguity here.
----------------

As an aside, my understanding of standard theories of propositional attitude
reports
is that:

(5') Ralph wants Smith to eat dirt.

does indeed follow from (5) if we are only concerned with the propositional
content of the that clause, and ignore the "mode of
presentation" of Ralph/Smith, or if we ignore the exact sentence Ralph might
employ to state his belief.  In other words, it is true that
Ralph wants Smith to eat dirt if he wants Ortcutt to eat dirt, though he
might not say it that way.

Or not?

Cheers,

M.J.Murphy