Meaning holism and de re ascription
Meaning holism and de re ascription
According to inferential role semantics, for an expression to have a meaning is for it to have a role in inference. It is widely recognised that any such theory seems to face a communication problem. Since no two speakers share the same beliefs, they will inevitably make different inferential transitions involving an expression. Hence, given inferential role semantics, the same word in different mouths will possess a different meaning and be understood differently. In this paper, I outline Brandom’s proposed solution, which involves an appeal to de re ascriptions. That strategy, I argue, fails in several respects to solve the communication problem.
brandom, meaning, holism, de re, de dicto, inferentialism, inferential role semantics
575-599
Whiting, Daniel
c0847bb4-963e-470d-92a2-5c8aae5d5aef
December 2008
Whiting, Daniel
c0847bb4-963e-470d-92a2-5c8aae5d5aef
Whiting, Daniel
(2008)
Meaning holism and de re ascription.
Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 38 (4), .
(doi:10.1353/cjp.0.0033).
Abstract
According to inferential role semantics, for an expression to have a meaning is for it to have a role in inference. It is widely recognised that any such theory seems to face a communication problem. Since no two speakers share the same beliefs, they will inevitably make different inferential transitions involving an expression. Hence, given inferential role semantics, the same word in different mouths will possess a different meaning and be understood differently. In this paper, I outline Brandom’s proposed solution, which involves an appeal to de re ascriptions. That strategy, I argue, fails in several respects to solve the communication problem.
Text
Meaning-holism_and_De_Re_Ascription_-_Daniel_Whiting.pdf
- Author's Original
More information
Submitted date: 19 October 2007
Published date: December 2008
Keywords:
brandom, meaning, holism, de re, de dicto, inferentialism, inferential role semantics
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 59095
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/59095
ISSN: 0045-5091
PURE UUID: 09c3523c-c5e1-4238-ad47-cd43a0db1711
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 22 Aug 2008
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 11:14
Export record
Altmetrics
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics