Fregean

Fregean refers to the philosophy and logic associated with Gottlob Frege (1848–1925). In the philosophy of language, Fregean semantics emphasizes the distinction between sense (Sinn) and reference (Bedeutung). The sense of an expression is its mode of presentation, while the reference is the object or truth-conditional value it conveys. A sentence's sense fixes its truth conditions, and expressions with the same reference can differ in sense, as with "Hesperus" and "Phosphorus." For Frege, terms have a referential role tied to sense and content, and descriptive expressions contribute to the overall sense of a sentence via informational content.

Frege also developed a rigorous logic that underpins Fregean philosophy: the Begriffsschrift, the early predicate calculus, and the idea of function-argument structure, with truth-values assigned to sentences. His work on function application underlies modern analytic logic and the study of logical consequence.

In analytic philosophy, Fregean ideas underpin discussions on meaning, reference, and intentionality. The sense-reference distinction has influenced debates from truth-conditional semantics to issues of cognitive significance and mathematical language. Critics, notably from Russellian and Kripkean traditions, have challenged aspects of Fregean theory—especially the role of sense and its applicability to non-referring terms.

Overall, "Fregean" signals a family of positions and methods deriving from Frege's rigorous treatment of language, logic, and mathematical foundations, and remains central to contemporary philosophy of language and logic.