Translations from

the
Philosophical
Writings
of Gottlob Frege
EDITED BY

PETER GEACH
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Birmingham

AND

MAX BLACK
Professor of Philosophy, Cornell University

B A S I L B L AC KW E L L
OX F O R D
i960
First Edition 1952
Second Edition
1960

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN

FOR BASIL BLACKWELL & MOTT LTD.
BY THE COMPTON PRINTING WORKS (LONDON) LTD., LONDON, N.l
AND BOUND BY
THE KEMP HALL BINDERY, OXFORD

P R E FA C E
ONE a i m o f this volume is to make available to English
readers Freges mere important logical essays, which have
long been buried in various German periodicals (mostly now
defunct). Besides these we have given certain extracts from
his Grundgesetze der Arithmetic, these can be understood in
the light of the essays, without the readers needing to follow
the chain of deduction in the Grundgesetze.
Special attention should be paid to Freges discussion of
Russells paradox in the appendix to Vol. ii of the
Grundgesetze. It is discreditable that logical works should
repeat the legend of Freges abandoning his researches in
despair when faced with the paradox; in fact he indicates a
line of solution, which others might well have followed out
farther.
The authorship of the various versions is stated in the
table of contents. All versions have been revised with a view
to uniform rendering of Freges special terms; a glossary of
these terms is supplied.
Footnote flags such as A,B, relate to translators footnotes;
other footnotes are Freges own.
Acknowledgments are due to the editors of Mind and the
Philosophical Review, for permission to use versions first
published there. Acknowledgment is also due for use of the
translations made from Vol. i of the Grundgesetze by P. E. B.
Jourdain and J. Stachelroth (which were first published in the
Monist, 1915-17), to the owners of the copyright, whom it
has unfortunately proved impossible to trace. Professor Ryle
and Lord Russell have been most helpful by lending works of
Frege that were otherwise almost unobtainable.

MAX BLACK.
P. T. GEACH.

NOTE TO SECOND EDITION

WE have made a number of corrections for this second
impression. Mr. Michael Dummett was kind enough to check
the whole translation and give us his advice. A new footnote
on p. 243 refers to recent work on Freges Way Out.
M. B.
P. T. G.

VI

CONTENTS
PAGE

Preface.....................................................................................
Note to Second Edition.

vi

Glossary....................................................................ix
BEGRIFFSSCHRIFT (Chapter I). Translated by P. T.
GEACH......................................................................i
FUNCTION

AND

ON CONCEPT

CONCEPT. Translated by P. T. GEACH .

AND

OBJECT.

Translated by P. T.

21

GEACH

42

ON SENSE AND REFERENCE. Translated by MAX BLACK .

56
Illustrative Extracts from Freges Review of Husserls
Philosophie der Arithmetik. Translated by P. T. GEACH . 79
A CRITICAL ELUCIDATION OF SOME POINTS IN E. SCHROEALGEBRA DER LOGIK. Translated by P. T.

DERS

GEACH.......................................................................86
WHAT

IS A

FUNCTION? Translated by P. T. GEACH .

107
NEGATION. Translated by P. T. GEACH .

117
TRANSLATION OF PARTS OF FREGES GRUNDGESETZE DER
ARITHMETIK:
Selections from Volume I. Translated by P. E. B. JOURDAIN
and J. STACHELROTH......................................................137
FREGE

ON

DEFINITIONS:

I (Vol. II, 56-67)

159

(Translated by P. T. GEACH) II (Vol. II, 139-44,146-7)

173
FREGE

AGAINST THE

FORMALISTS (Vol. II, 86-137) .

.
182

Translated by MAX BLACK

FREGE

ON

RUSSELLS PARADOX (Appendix to Vol. II) .

234
Translated by P. T. GEACH

vii