Beyond Labels: UNILOG 2025 Dives into the Philosophy of Proper Names

 What’s in a name? When Shakespeare posed this question through Juliet, he was tapping into a deep, centuries-old philosophical problem. Is a name just a convenient label, a mere sound we use to point to someone? Or does it carry a deeper connection to the very essence of what it identifies?

This question lies at the heart of one of the most fascinating debates in logic, philosophy of language, and metaphysics. And in 2025, the world's leading minds on the subject will converge to dissect it at the 8th World Congress and School on Universal Logic (UNILOG 2025), with a dedicated thematic special session on "Proper Names."

More Than Just a Reference: Why Proper Names Matter

Think about it. We use names every day without a second thought. We say "Paris," "Mona Lisa," or "Aristotle," and we assume we are all referring to the same thing. But how does that reference work?

• Does the name "Aristotle" simply mean "the student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great"? (This is the Descriptivist theory).

• Or is it a direct, unmediated tag - a rigid designator - that points to that very individual across all possible worlds? (This is the Direct Reference theory, championed by philosophers like Saul Kripke).

The answer to this question isn't just academic. It has profound implications for:

• How we understand identity and existence.

• How we model knowledge and belief in artificial intelligence.

• The foundation of semantic web technologies and databases.

• The nature of truth in historical and legal contexts.

The study of proper names is a gateway to understanding the fundamental relationship between language, thought, and reality.

Save the Date and Get Involved!

• Event: 8th World Congress and School on Universal Logic (UNILOG 2025)

• Special Session: Proper Names

• Website: https://sites.google.com/view/unilog2025/proper-names

• Dates: 2025 (Specific dates TBA)

• Organizers: Jean-Yves Beziau , Federal University of  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Takaharu Oda, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China

Stay tuned to the official website for announcements regarding registration, call for papers, and confirmed keynote speakers. Let’s meet in 2025 to unravel the logic behind the labels that shape our world.