causal chain theory

In SEMANTICS, the hypothesis that the DENOTATION of a PROPER NAME or other EXPRESSION is determined by the historical chain of cause and effect leading from the initial bestowal of the name up through its acquisition by the speaker. The theory was proposed by philosopher Saul (Aaron) Kripke (b. 1940) in the 1970s as an alternative to the view that denotation is determined by mental description or other features of the speaker’s psychological state.