Frege on Definitions
A Case Study of Semantic Content
Seiten
2008
Oxford University Press Inc (Verlag)
978-0-19-531441-0 (ISBN)
Oxford University Press Inc (Verlag)
978-0-19-531441-0 (ISBN)
In this short monograph, John Horty explores the difficulties presented for Gottlob Frege's semantic theory, as well as its modern descendents, by the treatment of defined expressions.
The book begins by focusing on the psychological constraints governing Frege's notion of sense, or meaning, and argues that, given these constraints, even the treatment of simple stipulative definitions led Frege to important difficulties. Horty is able to suggest ways out of these difficulties that are both philosophically and logically plausible and Fregean in spirit. This discussion is then connected to a number of more familiar topics, such as indexicality and the discussion of concepts in recent theories of mind and language.
In the latter part of the book, after introducing a simple semantic model of senses as procedures, Horty considers the problems that definitions present for Frege's idea that the sense of an expression should mirror its grammatical structure. The requirement can be satisfied, he argues, only if defined expressions--and incomplete expressions as well--are assigned senses of their own, rather than treated contextually. He then explores one way in which these senses might be reified within the procedural model, drawing on ideas from work in the semantics of computer programming languages.
With its combination of technical semantics and history of philosophy, Horty's book tackles some of the hardest questions in the philosophy of language. It should interest philosophers, logicians, and linguists.
The book begins by focusing on the psychological constraints governing Frege's notion of sense, or meaning, and argues that, given these constraints, even the treatment of simple stipulative definitions led Frege to important difficulties. Horty is able to suggest ways out of these difficulties that are both philosophically and logically plausible and Fregean in spirit. This discussion is then connected to a number of more familiar topics, such as indexicality and the discussion of concepts in recent theories of mind and language.
In the latter part of the book, after introducing a simple semantic model of senses as procedures, Horty considers the problems that definitions present for Frege's idea that the sense of an expression should mirror its grammatical structure. The requirement can be satisfied, he argues, only if defined expressions--and incomplete expressions as well--are assigned senses of their own, rather than treated contextually. He then explores one way in which these senses might be reified within the procedural model, drawing on ideas from work in the semantics of computer programming languages.
With its combination of technical semantics and history of philosophy, Horty's book tackles some of the hardest questions in the philosophy of language. It should interest philosophers, logicians, and linguists.
John Horty is a Professor in the Philosophy Department and the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies at the University of Maryland. He is the author of Agency and Deontic Logic (Oxford, 2001) as well as papers on a variety of topics in logic, philosophy, and computer science.
PREFACE ; 1. The Introduction of Senses ; 2. Sense Identity ; 3. Definitions ; 4. Sense and Meaning ; 5. A Simple Semantic Model ; 6. Removal Rules ; 7. Syntactic and Semantic Options ; 8. Senses of Incomplete Expressions ; 9. Afterword ; REFERENCES ; INDEX
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 18.12.2008 |
|---|---|
| Verlagsort | New York |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 239 x 155 mm |
| Gewicht | 431 g |
| Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Erkenntnistheorie / Wissenschaftstheorie |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Logik | |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Sprachphilosophie | |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Sprachwissenschaft | |
| ISBN-10 | 0-19-531441-7 / 0195314417 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-19-531441-0 / 9780195314410 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
Mehr entdecken
aus dem Bereich
![Was heißt Denken?. Vorlesung Wintersemester 1951/52. [Was bedeutet das alles?] - Martin Heidegger](/media/113619842)
aus dem Bereich
die Grundlegung der modernen Philosophie
Buch | Softcover (2023)
C.H.Beck (Verlag)
CHF 25,20
Buch | Softcover (2023)
Reclam, Philipp (Verlag)
CHF 9,80
