Saul Kripke quotes

Saul Kripke was an American philosopher and logician, widely regarded for his groundbreaking work in modal logic and the philosophy of language. His influential ideas, especially on naming and necessity, reshaped analytical philosophy in the 20th century. He is remembered as one of the most original and significant philosophers of his generation. Here are 10 of his quotes:

I just hate sitting and writing - I had to do that in school. Plus, I have terrible handwriting.

Saul Kripke

For a sensation to be felt as pain is for it to be pain.

Saul Kripke

Any necessary truth, whether a priori or a posteriori, could not have turned out otherwise.

Saul Kripke

I wish I could have skipped college.

Saul Kripke

So even if I should say to myself that I will use 'Hesperus' to name the heavenly body I see in the evening in yonder position of the sky, it will not be necessary that Hesperus was ever seen in the evening. But it may be a priori in that this is how I have determined the referent.

Saul Kripke

We are not at the moment searching for the correct scheme.

Saul Kripke

Proper names are rigid designators.

Saul Kripke

I am somewhat uncertain whether there is a definite factual question as to whether natural language handles truth-value gaps ... Nor am I even quite sure that there is a definite question of fact as to whether natural language should be evaluated by the minimal fixed point or another, given the choice of a scheme for handling gaps. We are not at the moment searching for the correct scheme.

Saul Kripke

If I use the name 'Hesperus' to refer to a certain planetary body when seen in a certain celestial position in the evening, it will not therefore be a necessary truth that Hesperus is ever seen in the evening. That depends on various contingent facts about people being there to see and things like that. So even if I should say to myself that I will use 'Hesperus' to name the heavenly body I see in the evening in yonder position of the sky, it will not be necessary that Hesperus was ever seen in the evening. But it may be a priori in that this is how I have determined the referent.

Saul Kripke