ascriptions

Ascriptions are acts of attributing a property, quality, or relation to a subject. In philosophy of language and metaphysics, an ascription is typically expressed by a sentence that assigns a feature to an object, such as “The cat is black” or “Socrates is mortal.” These statements can be true or false depending on the object and the facts of the world.

In philosophy of mind and epistemology, ascriptions refer to attributing mental states, beliefs, desires, intentions, or emotions to someone, for example “John believes it will rain” or “Mary intends to leave.” Such ascriptions raise questions about how we determine the accuracy of attributions, how they are framed, and how readings may differ depending on de re (about the thing itself) versus de dicto (about the description) analyses.

In sociology, ascription denotes a social status assigned at birth or by social convention rather than earned, such as race, gender, or caste. Ascribed statuses contrast with achieved statuses, which are acquired through individual actions or accomplishments.

Issues common to ascriptions include how context influences truth conditions, the potential for misattribution, and the role of perspective in interpreting who or what is being ascribed. Etymologically, the term comes from Latin ascribere, meaning to write onto or to attribute. Related concepts include predication, attribution, ascribed status, and, in ethics, emotivism and other theories about the stance expressed in evaluative attributions.