Category: Words and Meanings
10/31/12
Formulating a Phenomenological Theory of Language and Meaning
This post concludes the series on language and meaning that I have been blogging on in recent weeks. Along the way, I used the Modern Phenomenological Method (MPhM). This method involves several steps through which one can come to a reasonable and rel… more »
10/24/12
Why Wittgenstein is Wrong about Language and Meaning
This post continues the series on language and meaning. In prior posts, I laid out the case that language has meaning based on the ideas that we have in mind when we communicate, and that this meaning is socially constructed but it also ultimately deri… more »
10/17/12
The Conceptual Atoms
This post continues the series on language and meaning. The first post asked the question of how language has meaning and how we can come to know what words and sentences mean. In the several posts since, I have laid out the evidence that shows that t… more »
10/10/12
The Nature of Concepts
This post continues the series on language and meaning. The first post asked the question of how language has meaning and how we can come to know what words and sentences mean. In the several posts since, I have laid out the evidence that shows that t… more »
10/03/12
Communicative Meaning is Socially Constructed
It is true that there must be a relation between the symbols used for communication and pure concepts, but this relation is quite complex. One thing is clear is that there is not a one-to-one correspondence between pure concepts and the symbols that ar… more »
09/26/12
Can the Meaning of Language be Objective?
This post continues the series on language and meaning. The first post asked the question of how language has meaning and how we can come to know what words and sentences mean. Since then, I have posted on a few different theories of language and mean… more »
09/19/12
Language and Meaning: What is the Connection?
This post continues the series on language and meaning. The first post asked the question of how language has meaning and how we can come to know what words and sentences mean. Since then, I have posted on a few different theories of language and mean… more »
09/12/12
How Does Language Have Meaning? Part 4: Language of Thought
This post continues the series on language and meaning. The first post asked the question of how language has meaning and how we can come to know what words and sentences mean. Since then, I have posted on a few different theories of language and mean… more »
09/05/12
How Does Language Have Meaning? Part 3: Semantic Holism
This post continues the series on language and meaning. The first post asked the question of how language has meaning and how we can come to know what words and sentences mean. Last week's post explained a little about past attempts to use logic to an… more »
08/29/12
How Does Language Have Meaning? Part 2: Logic
This post continues the series on language and meaning. The first post asked the question of how language has meaning and how we can come to know what words and sentences mean. Last week's post explained the simplest proposed answers to this question,… more »