The Things We Mean - Softcover

Schiffer, Stephen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199257760 ISBN 13: 9780199257768

Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A., 2003

Synopsis

Stephen Schiffer presents a groundbreaking account of meaning and belief, and shows how it can illuminate a range of crucial problems regarding language, mind, knowledge, and ontology. He introduces the new doctrine of 'pleonastic propositions' to explain what the things we mean and believe are. He discusses the relation between semantic and psychological facts, on the one hand, and physical facts, on the other; vagueness and indeterminacy; moral truth; conditionals; and the role of propositional content in information acquisition and explanation. This radical new treatment of meaning will command the attention of everyone who works on fundamental questions about language, and will attract much interest from other areas of philosophy.

About this title

Review

rich, complex and thought provoking (Peter Pagin, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews)

... new and original work ... it repays serious study by offering a fresh perspective on many issues in the philosophy of language and related disciplines. It is likely to be discussed for many years to come ... the ideas present in this monograph are interesting and original. The Things We Mean will yet further enhance Schiffer's reputation as one of the leading English-speaking philosophers of his generation. (Tijdschrift Voor Filosofie)

...a philosopher's feast, a subtle framework skilfully used to generate a unified treatment of the meaning of linguistic expressions and our knowledge of it. (Times Literary Supplement)

About the Author

Stephen Schiffer is in the Department of Philosophy, New York University.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A.
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199257760
• ISBN 13: 9780199257768
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 378