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Full-Text Articles in Philosophy of Language
..., Claire Alfonso
..., Claire Alfonso
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Words are fickle, easily misunderstood, and often put us at a loss... but we all have so much we feel we need to express. This begs the question: Is there any safe way of communication? Can anything ever really be communicated how you mean it? Will you ever see the reflection of what you feel, think, and dream outside of yourself? In response to this existential dilemma, I imagine an alternative language of images, sounds, color, feelings, and non-identification. My thesis is a meditation on the issues with standard language and the idea of alternative language. In my argument I …
Robert Brandom On Semantics And The Objectivity Of Conceptual Norms, Jiayu Wu
Robert Brandom On Semantics And The Objectivity Of Conceptual Norms, Jiayu Wu
Undergraduate Honors Theses
In arguing for an inferentialist understanding of conceptual contents, Robert Brandom claims that a fundamental feature of the norms that govern our concept-using practices is that they are objective. Brandom believes that the objective aspect of conceptual norms is grounded in the distinction between the normative status of a performance being a correct (or incorrect) application of a concept and the normative attitude of a performance being taken as a correct (or incorrect) application. In the first two sections of this thesis, I will offer an overview of Brandom’s inferential approach to semantics and his normative approach to pragmatics. In …
Indeterminacy, Disagreement, And Reasonable Reference Magnetism, Jaocb (Hengyun) Yang
Indeterminacy, Disagreement, And Reasonable Reference Magnetism, Jaocb (Hengyun) Yang
Undergraduate Honors Theses
According to reference magnetism, some properties are easier to refer than others. The proposal finds many applications in the different fields of philosophy, but it has also been criticized as an ad hoc solution to philosophical problems. This thesis provides a novel account of reference magnetism that preserves its explanatory power but is, hopefully, more reasonable.