Philosophy of Language and culture mod.docx

Philosophy of Language and culture Introduction - Expressions -- the relevance of this philosophy can be seen immediately in the role that language and its meaning in resolving disagreements or disputes - 3 basic agreements 1. Disagreement in Attitude 2. Disagreement in Belief...

Philosophy of Language and culture Introduction - Expressions -- the relevance of this philosophy can be seen immediately in the role that language and its meaning in resolving disagreements or disputes - 3 basic agreements 1. Disagreement in Attitude 2. Disagreement in Belief 3. Merely Verbal Disagreement Disagreement in Attitude - Disagreements over preferences. - It usually resolved by: - logical persuasion - Compromise - Persuasion can be done either logically or illogically. Disagreement in Belief - Disagreements about facts. - It is usually resolved: - By verifying facts at issue through directly observing the facts. - Examining the relevant documents. - Appealing to proper or appropriate authority. Merely Verbal Disagreement - disagreements that arise out of the misunderstanding of the meanings of our linguistic expressions not real disagreements - properly resolved by clarifying the meanings of linguistic expressions. Philosophy of Language Vs Linguistic Philosophy. - Philosophy of Language attempts to give philosophical illuminating descriptions of certain general features of language, such as reference, truth, meaning, and necessity. - Linguistic philosophy is a philosophical method for solving philosophical problems by analyzing the language of those problems. Theories and Concepts in the Philosophy of Language - Ideal Language Philosophy - Ordinary Language Philosophy Ideal Language Philosophy - Investigates how language in its descriptive or representation function works. - Or how language is being able to represent the world. - Investigates how language in its descriptive or representation function works. - Or how language is being able to represent the world. - Ordinary Language Philosophy - - - - Summary: - - Ideal Language theory or Ideational Theory of Meaning - **John Locke** 1. 2. 3. Of words or Language in General - - - General term is a single word the marks a multitude of particular existence.\ - General terms = general ideas and particular terms = particular ideas. Signification of words - - - - General Terms - - - - How do words come to be general? How do we acquire general ideas? - - - Object Theory of Meaning by John Stuart Mill - - Object Theory of Meaning by John Stuart Mill 2. 3. General vs the Individual names (singular names) - - - Denotes, not a class of individuals, but each of the individuals in the class. - A general term is different from a collective name. - A collective cannot be predicate to each individual separately, but only of all taken together. - E.G., of a collective name: army, choir, etc. - Individual names are only capable of being truly affirmed, in the sense, of only one thing. - Proper names and descriptive phrases it is definitive description denote a single object. - Proper names and descriptive phrases are alike: hence, both are individual names. - e.g., Daryl Sabal = individual name (proper name) Concrete vs the Abstract Names - - - - - 1. 2. Connotative vs Non-Connotative Names - - - - Non-connotative names signify a subject only or an attribute only. - 2 kinds of non-connotative names - Concrete: e.g., table, chair, England, Philippines - Abstract: Whiteness, blueness, length, values, virtue, etc. - - -