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MeaningPutnam and Wikforss
Philosophy of Language
January 22, 2014
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Questions
How do words/sentences have meaning?
How do our utterances have meaning?
Do our thoughts/intentions determine what our words
mean?
Does our environment determine what our words
mean?
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Two Kinds of Theory
1. Foundational Semantic Theory: How do
words/utterances have meaning? What
determines the meaning of p?
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Two Kinds of Theory
1. Foundational Semantic Theory: How do
words/utterances have meaning? What
determines the meaning of p?
2. Descriptive Semantics: About the semantic
values of terms. E.g., What does water mean?
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Foundational Semantics
Were focusing, for now, on foundational semantics.
We want to figure out how it is that words, sentences
and utterances have meaning.
Later well look at different descriptive semantic
theories.
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Recap
We saw that Grice argued that our utterances have
meanings given speaker intentions.
This is a Foundational Semantic Theory.
It is psychological and Internalist.
In contrast, well look at an Externalist theory of
meaning today.
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Externalism
Meanings just aintin the head
Putnam
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Two Traditional Assumptions
1. Knowing the meaning of a term is just being in a
psychological state.
2. The meaning of a term determines its extension.
That is to say, sameness of meaning entails
sameness of extension.
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Two Traditional Assumptions
1. Knowing the meaning of a term is just being in a
psychological state.
2. The meaning of a term determines its extension.
That is to say, sameness of meaning entails
sameness of extension.
Putnam argues that we should reject 1. He arguesfor this through the Twin Earth thought experiment
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Earth and Twin Earth
Earth
H2O
Twin Earth
XYZ
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Earth and Twin Earth
Oscar Twin Oscar
Theyre psychological duplicates!
Both would say water is wet and
water is colorless
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Earth and Twin Earth
On Earth water means H2O
On Twin Earth water means XYZ
Earthian Oscar is thinking about water and talking
about water.
Twin Earthian Oscar is thinking about twin water and
talking about twin water.
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Earth and Twin Earth
Water is identical to H2O.
This is a claim Kripke argued was metaphysically
necessary. It is impossible for there to be something
that is water, but that is not H2O.
Of course, something could be called water and not
be H2O. Justin Bieber might call some cocktailwater. That doesnt mean it really is water.
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Earth and Twin Earth
Oscar and Twin Oscar are supposed to be like that.
Oscar uses water mean and to pick out water.
Twin Oscar uses water to mean and to pick out twin
water.
These are different words like bank and bank are
different words. Or, fluke and fluke
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Earth and Twin Earth
Recall the two assumptions from before:
1. Knowing the meaning of a term is just being in a
psychological state.
2. The meaning of a term determines its extension.
That is to say, sameness of meaning entails
sameness of extension.
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Earth and Twin Earth
Oscar and Twin Oscar are in identical psychological
states. Thats part of the set up of the case.
So, if knowing the meaning of something is just
being in a psychological state (1), they know the
same meanings. That is, their thoughts/utterances
have the same meanings.
And, if meaning determines extension, then their
thoughts/utterances are about the same thing
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Earth and Twin Earth
But, theyre not!
Oscars are about water (i.e., H2O)
Twin Oscars are about twin water (i.e., XYZ)
So either assumption 1 or 2 has to go.
Putnam thinks 2 is better motivated. So, meaningsjust aintin the head. Instead, external things matter
(environment, social connections)
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Bringing it down to Earth
Putnam cannot tell Beeches and Elms apart. He
thinks of both as deciduous trees that grow in North
America. And just doesnt have more information.
Hes in the same psychological state when thinking
Beeches are lovely or Elms are lovely
So, if meaning determines extension, and allmeaning is is ones psychological state, then for
Putnam elm and beech pick out the same thing.
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Bringing it down to Earth
But, Putnam thinks thats not right.
When he says elm he means elm and refers to elms
like an arborist would.
So, meanings arent in the head.
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Dividing Linguistic Labor
We can all use the words elm, beech, water,
gold and so on. We share those words.
If meaning determines extension, the meanings ofthose words will be fine-grained. They will pick out all
and only elms (or beeches or gold or..).
These meanings are present in the linguisticcommunity considered as a collective body, but not
necessarily in each of our heads.
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Dividing Linguistic Labor
Some experts might be relied on to differentiate
things in hard cases.
Since experts are part of the collective linguisticbody, even obscure facts might become part of the
meaning of certain expressions.
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Dividing Linguistic Labor
Language is more like a steamship than a hammer.
A hammer can be used by one person. A steamship
requires the cooperative activities of a number ofpeople.
Language too requires the cooperative actions of a
number of people.
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The Cases
What do you think?
Are you convinced by the arguments?
Any objections?
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An Objection
Oscar and Twin Oscar are not really psychological
duplicates.
In having water thoughts Oscar has a water concept.In having twin water thoughts, Oscar has a twin-
water concept.
These concepts are different. So, the psychologicalstates (beliefs, desires) are different.
This is Psychological or Mental Externalism (Burge)
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An Objection
What does this mean for the two assumptions?
Could meanings be in the head if this is the right way
to think?
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An Objection
What does this mean for the two assumptions?
Could meanings be in the head if this is the right way
to think?You might be able to hold onto both assumptions.
Knowing a meaning is being in a psychological state.
But, that state depends on environmental
factors/society. And, meaning still determinesextension (although extension kind of determines
meaning too..)
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Questions
Putnams argument is for natural kind terms. These
are terms that pick out elements, chemical kinds,
species, and other things that seem to be clearlydelineated in the natural world.
Will the view work for other kinds of words?
table gamemoney the
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Questions
On Putnams view: Could some meaning be in the
head? Could someone ever have an entire meaning
in her/his head?
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Questions
On Putnams view: Could some meaning be in thehead? Could someone ever have an entire meaningin her/his head?
This is a question for descriptive semantics. Its aquestion about what meanings are like.
One might think: we all have bits of meanings in our
heads. We might know that Curium is a metal andnothing else.
Experts might have entire meanings in their heads.
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Questions
On Burges View (Psychological/Mental
Externalism): Could some meaning be in the head?
Could someone ever have an entire meaning inher/his head?
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Questions
On Burges View (Psychological/Mental
Externalism): Could some meaning be in the head?
Could someone ever have an entire meaning inher/his head?
Concepts, on this view, are partially externally
determined. So, meanings could be in the head
although theyre not individual in the way in thehead sounds.
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Questions
What would Grice say about the Twin Earth case?
Would he think that Oscar and Twin Oscar mean
different things when they say water is thirst-quenching?
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Our Original Questions
How do words/sentences have meaning?
How do our utterances have meaning?
Do our thoughts/intentions determine what our words
mean?
Does our environment determine what our words
mean?
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Our Original Questions
On the Externalist view:
The environment determines what (at least some of)
our words mean.
Words have meaning through the environment were
in (the nature of entities can shape meaning) and
through shared knowledge about a kind of thing.
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Internalism v. Externalism
Which view is best?
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