Philosophy of LanguageStarting with Gottlob Frege's foundational theories of sense and reference, Miller provides a useful introduction to the formal logic used in all subsequent philosophy of language. He communicates a sense of active philosophical debate by confronting the views of the early theorists concerned with building systematic theories - such as Frege, Bertrand Russell, and the logical positivists - with the attacks mounted by sceptics - such as W.O. Quine, Saul Kripke, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. This leads to important excursions into related areas of metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and cognitive science that present the more recent attempts to save the notions of sense and meaning by philosophers such as Paul Grice, John Searle, Jerry Fodor, Colin McGinn, and Crispin Wright. Miller then returns to the systematic program by examining the formal theories of Donald Davidson, concluding with a chapter surveying the relevance of philosophy of language to the broader metaphysical debates between realists and anti-realists. Miller's clear, engaged, and coherently structured approach makes Philosophy of Language an ideal text for undergraduate courses. The guides to further reading provided in each chapter help the reader pursue interesting topics further and facilitate using the book in conjunction with primary sources. |
Contents
sense and definite | 23 |
5 | 54 |
8 | 64 |
10 | 72 |
logical positivism | 79 |
4 | 92 |
5 | 101 |
7 | 109 |
9 | 143 |
10 | 149 |
Kripkes | 153 |
responses to the sceptical | 177 |
Grices | 221 |
Tarski and Davidson | 245 |
Sense objectivity and metaphysics | 279 |
Notes | 305 |
Common terms and phrases
actually analytic argues attempt axioms Ayer behaviour belief contexts blap Boghossian Chapter claim constitutive constraints Davidson definite descriptions determined discourse dispositional distinction Dummett efficient administrator example explain expression extension Extensional fact factual significance follows Frege Fregean function gavagai given Grice holism Ibid indeterminacy of translation intention interpretation intuitive Jones judgement-dependent judgements Kripke Kripke's KW's sceptical logical positivism logical positivist Mark Twain mathematics McGinn means addition metaphysical nonfactualism normative notion of meaning notion of sense object philosophy of language Plato plausible possess predicate problem proper names propositional attitudes quantifier question Quine Quine's rabbit realism reference relevant rule-following considerations Russell satisfies sceptical argument sceptical paradox sceptical solution semantic properties semantic theory semantic value sentence-meaning sort speaker's-meaning speakers statements stimulus meaning suggests Suppose theorem theory of meaning thesis translation manual true or false truth truth-conditions truth-value understanding utterance verification principle verification-transcendent Wittgenstein words Wright