Nondescriptive Meaning and Reference: An Ideational Semantics

✍ Scribed by Wayne A. Davis

• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 465
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Wayne Davis presents a highly original approach to the foundations of semantics, showing how the so-called "expression" theory of meaning can handle names and other problematic cases of nondescriptive meaning. The fact that thoughts have parts ("ideas" or "concepts") is fundamental: Davis argues that like other unstructured words, names mean what they do because they are conventionally used to express atomic or basic ideas. In the process he shows that many pillars of contemporary philosophical semantics, from twin earth arguments to the necessity of identity, are unfounded.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents......Page 10
Part I: The Expression Theory of Meaning......Page 16
1.1 The Expression Theory of Meaning......Page 18
1.2 Reference......Page 21
1.3 Names and Nondescriptive Meaning......Page 22
1.4 The Gricean Program......Page 23
2.1 Thought versus Belief......Page 24
2.2 Thinking as the Occurrence of Thoughts......Page 28
2.3 Thinking of Objects......Page 30
2.4 Sentences versus Thoughts......Page 32
2.5 Propositions as Thoughts......Page 35
2.6 The Constituency Thesis......Page 38
2.7 Subpropositional Constituents......Page 45
2.8 Opacity and Transparency......Page 47
2.9 Quantifying In......Page 49
3.1 Definition......Page 54
3.2 Images......Page 56
3.3 Conception and Conceptions......Page 58
3.4 Possession......Page 60
3.5 Acquisition......Page 63
3.6 Association......Page 66
3.7 Ideo-Reflexive Reference......Page 68
3.8 Objects and Contents......Page 74
3.9 Atomic Ideas......Page 76
4.1 Speaker, Word, and Evidential Meaning......Page 86
4.2 Cogitative versus Cognitive Meaning......Page 90
4.3 Cognitive Meaning and Implication......Page 91
4.4 Cogitative Speaker Meaning (Exclusive)......Page 92
4.5 Expression......Page 96
4.6 Communication......Page 99
5.1 Languages......Page 105
5.2 Word Meaning and Expression......Page 109
5.3 Applied Word Meaning......Page 111
5.4 Basic Word Meaning......Page 113
5.5 Conventions......Page 117
5.6 Compositional Word Meaning......Page 123
5.7 Living Languages......Page 127
5.8 Idiolects......Page 132
6.1 Nondeclarative Sentences......Page 137
6.2 Syncategorematic Terms......Page 150
6.3 Interjections......Page 157
6.4 Conventional Implicatures......Page 162
Part II: Reference......Page 174
7.1 Speaker Reference......Page 176
7.2 Reference and Predication......Page 177
7.3 Cogitative Speaker Meaning (Inclusive)......Page 179
7.4 Mentioning......Page 181
7.5 Grammatical Equivocations......Page 182
7.6 The Referential–Attributive Distinction......Page 183
7.7 The Opaque–Transparent Distinction......Page 184
8.1 Alternative Analyses......Page 188
8.2 Intentionality......Page 191
8.3 Causal Theories......Page 199
8.4 Consequences for Skepticism......Page 202
8.5 The ‘Connection’ between Thought and Object......Page 206
8.6 The Twin Earth Case......Page 209
9 MEANING AND REFERENCE......Page 221
9.1 Word Reference......Page 223
9.2 Referential Theories of Meaning......Page 224
9.3 The Davidsonian Theory......Page 230
9.4 Truth and Ideation......Page 234
9.5 Tarskian Truth Theories for Thoughts......Page 237
Part III: Names......Page 244
10 MILLIAN THEORIES......Page 246
10.1 The Frege–Mill Dichotomy......Page 247
10.2 No Meaning......Page 248
10.3 No Meaning in Natural Languages......Page 256
10.4 No Sense: Russell’s Problem......Page 260
10.5 No Sense: Frege’s Problem......Page 266
10.6 Modal Millianism......Page 270
11.1 Existence Failures......Page 279
11.2 Substitutivity Failures......Page 282
11.3 The Kripkean Defense......Page 286
11.4 The Gricean Defense: Metalinguistic Implicatures......Page 290
11.5 The Gricean Defense: Mode Implicatures......Page 297
11.6 The Gricean Defense: Descriptive Assertions......Page 302
11.7 Conclusion......Page 305
12.1 The Classical Description Theory......Page 309
12.2 The Modal Argument: Scope Defense......Page 313
12.3 The Modal Argument: Rigidity Defense......Page 316
12.4 The Indexical Description Theory......Page 318
12.5 The Metalinguistic Theory......Page 322
13.1 Nondescriptive, Undefinable Senses......Page 335
13.2 Basic Concepts......Page 338
13.3 The Atomic Subject Concept Theory......Page 341
13.4 The Sortal Plus Individuator Theory......Page 346
13.5 Alternative Approaches to Nondescriptive Meaning......Page 350
13.6 The Argument from Acquaintance......Page 352
13.7 The Argument from Identification......Page 353
13.8 The Argument from Abstraction......Page 356
13.9 Conceptual Descriptivism......Page 357
13.10 Conclusion......Page 360
14 FORMAL SEMANTICS......Page 364
14.1 Ideational Semantics......Page 365
14.2 Situation Semantics......Page 366
14.3 Possible Worlds Semantics: Problems......Page 368
14.4 World Models......Page 371
14.5 A Model Structure for Standard Names......Page 373
14.6 The Counterpart Relation......Page 377
14.7 Transworld Identity......Page 381
15.1 Contingent Identities......Page 387
15.2 Arguments for the Necessity of Identity......Page 391
15.3 The Argument from Rigidity......Page 396
15.4 The Misdescription Maneuver......Page 398
15.5 De Jure versus De Facto Rigidity......Page 400
15.6 The Intensionality of Rigid Designation......Page 401
15.7 Alternative Definitions of Rigidity......Page 402
15.8 Standard Intensions......Page 407
References......Page 410
C......Page 454
F......Page 456
I......Page 457
J......Page 458
M......Page 459
N......Page 460
P......Page 461
R......Page 462
S......Page 463
T......Page 464
Z......Page 465

✦ Subjects

Языки и языкознание;Лингвистика;Семантика;