Theories of the Proposition: Some Early Sixteenth Century Discussions

In his excellent book, Theories of the Proposition. Ancient and Medieval Conceptions of the Bearers of Truth and Falsity,1 Gabriel Nuchelmans carries the story up to Paul of Venice, who died in 1429. In this paper I intend to consider the discussions of propositional sense and reference found in the works of a group of authors connected with the University of Paris in the last decade of the fifteenth century and the first three decades of the sixteenth century. I confine myself to this group not only because it is a group, but because I know of few other sustained discussions of the problem by logicians after Paul of Venice. Two fifteenth century authors, Stephanus de Monte and Andreas Limos raised the matter in the context of insolubilia;2 the Italian Agostino Nifo (1470-1538) discussed it in two places;3 and various other authors, such as the German Jodocus Trutvetter, mentioned the topic only in passing.4 Nor is the matter pursued in