Synthese 195 (2):603-621 (2018)
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Abstract |
In this paper we use an experimental approach to investigate how linguistic conventions can emerge in a society without explicit agreement. As a starting point we consider the signaling game introduced by Lewis. We find that in experimental settings, small groups can quickly develop conventions of signal meaning in these games. We also investigate versions of the game where the theoretical literature indicates that meaning will be less likely to arise—when there are more than two states for actors to transfer meaning about and when some states are more likely than others. In these cases, we find that actors are less likely to arrive at strategies where signals have clear conventional meaning. We conclude with a proposal for extending the use of the methodology of experimental economics in experimental philosophy.
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Keywords | Signaling Experimental philosophy Meaning Evolution |
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DOI | 10.1007/s11229-014-0535-x |
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References found in this work BETA
The Strategy of Conflict: With a New Preface by the Author.Thomas C. Schelling - 1960 - Harvard University Press.
Evolution and the Explanation of Meaning.Simon M. Huttegger - 2007 - Philosophy of Science 74 (1):1-27.
View all 22 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
Teleosemantic Modeling of Cognitive Representations.Marc Artiga - 2016 - Biology and Philosophy 31 (4):483-505.
The Emergence of Social Norms and Conventions.Robert X. D. Hawkins, Noah D. Goodman & Robert L. Goldstone - 2019 - Trends in Cognitive Sciences 23 (2):158-169.
Ambiguous Signals, Partial Beliefs, and Propositional Content.Rafael Ventura - 2019 - Synthese 196 (7):2803-2820.
Disclosure and Information Transfer in Signaling Games.Justin P. Bruner - 2015 - Philosophy of Science 82 (4):649-666.
View all 12 citations / Add more citations
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