Frege’s intended construal of the compositionality principle

Investigate which construal of the compositionality principle—either as a metaphysical claim about determination of meaning by parts and combination, or as a psychological hypothesis about human processing—Gottlob Frege intended in his writings, if any.

Background

The chapter distinguishes two interpretations of compositionality—metaphysical and psychological—and notes Frege’s foundational role without an explicit formulation of the principle. The authors highlight uncertainty about Frege’s intended construal. Clarifying this historical question would sharpen philosophical context around contemporary debates and interpret the roots of compositionality’s role in cognitive science.