If names are purely referential and do not have descriptive content, then 'Fido' means Fido. If names do have descriptive content, then 'Fido' means my idea of Fido. But Fido does not mean my idea of Fido. Names are purely referential. So, 'Fido' means Fido.
-Which of the following is the best translation into PL of this argument?
A) R • (∼D ⊃ F) D ⊃ I
∼I
R / F
B) (R • ∼D) ⊃ F D ⊃ F
∼I
N / F
C) (R • ∼D) ⊃ F D ⊃ I
∼I
R / F
D) (R • ∼D) ⊃ F
D ⊃ F
∼F
R / F
E) (R • D) ⊃ F D ⊃ I
∼F
R / F

Question

If names are purely referential and do not have descriptive content, then 'Fido' means Fido. If names do have descriptive content, then 'Fido' means my idea of Fido. But Fido does not mean my idea of Fido. Names are purely referential. So, 'Fido' means Fido.
-Which of the following is the best translation into PL of this argument?
A) R • (∼D ⊃ F) D ⊃ I
∼I
R / F
B) (R • ∼D) ⊃ F D ⊃ F
∼I
N / F
C) (R • ∼D) ⊃ F D ⊃ I
∼I
R / F
D) (R • ∼D) ⊃ F 
D ⊃ F
∼F
R / F
E) (R • D) ⊃ F D ⊃ I
∼F
R / F

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The argument concludes that names are purely referential and do not have descriptive content, and thus 'Fido' means Fido. The premises support this conclusion by stating that if names have descriptive content, then 'Fido' would mean my idea of Fido, but it doesn't. This can be represented in symbolic logic as (R • ∼D) ⊃ F for the conditional premise, D ⊃ I for the premise that 'Fido' does not mean my idea of Fido, and ∼I for the premise that 'Fido' does not have descriptive content. From these, the conclusion F can be derived by modus ponens. Choice C represents this argument structure most accurately.

If Names Are Purely Referential and Do Not Have Descriptive