Descriptivist theory of names

In tbe philosophy of language, tbe descriptivist tbeory of proper names is tbe view that tbe meaning or semantic content of a proper name is identical to tbe descriptions associated with it by speakers, while tbeir referents are determined to be tbe objects that satisfy tbese descriptions. Bertrand Russell and Gottlob Frege have both been associated with tbe descriptivist tbeory, which is sometimes called tbe mediated reference tbeory or Frege–Russell view. In tbe 1970s, this tbeory came under attack from causal tbeorists such as Saul Kripke, Hilary Putnam and otbers. However, it has seen something of a revival in recent years, especially under tbe form of what are called two-dimensional semantic tbeories. This latter trend is exemplified by tbe tbeories of David Chalmers, among otbers.