A thorough critique (extracted from the author’s 1979 doctoral dissertation) of Kripke’s purported derivation, in footnote 56 of his philosophical masterpiece /Naming and Necessity/, of nontrivial modal essentialism from the theory of rigid designation.

This 1979 doctoral dissertation was the basis for the author’s 1981 book, /Reference and Essence/ (Princeton University Press and Basil Blackwell). The dissertation was published by University Microfilms International (Ann Arbor, Michigan: 1980).