Meaning Holism and De Re Ascription
نویسنده
چکیده
1 Introduction According to inferential role semantics (IRS), for an expression to have a particular meaning or express a certain concept is for subjects to be disposed to make, or to treat as proper, certain inferential transitions involving that expression. 1 Such a theory of meaning is holistic, since according to it the meaning or concept any given expression possesses or expresses depends on the inferential relations it stands in to other expressions. It is widely recognised that this holism leads to two prima facie problems for IRS. First, since no two speakers share the same beliefs, they will inevitably be disposed to make, or treat as correct, different inferential transitions involving an expression. Hence, according to IRS, the same word in different mouths will possess a different meaning and be understood in different ways. It seems to follow that communication is impossible. Second, and relatedly, since a particular speaker's beliefs are constantly changing, at different times she will inevitably be disposed to make, or treat as correct, different inferential transitions involving an expression. Hence, according to IRS, the same word in the same mouth will possess a different meaning and be 2 understood differently at different times. It seems to follow that constancy of meaning is impossible. In this paper, I shall focus only on the former problem of communication, although much of what I say will bear on the latter problem of constancy. Proponents and detractors of IRS alike typically hold that the way to avoid this is to introduce a distinction in kind between those inferential transitions that are determinative of the meaning of an expression and those that are not, i.e. an party differs only on the issue of whether such a distinction can or should be drawn. In contrast, Brandom seeks to resolve the communication problem facing IRS without drawing an analytic/synthetic distinction. In his own words, Brandom refuses to adopt such an 'inegalitarian attitude toward the different inferences a concept is involved in' (MIE, 634; cf. 484, 587). His egalitarian and novel alternative, which I shall examine in this paper, is to appeal to the nature of de re ascriptions. 3 In what follows, I shall take for granted, with Brandom and those authors referenced above, that the communication problem poses a genuine difficulty for IRS and so calls for some kind of response (cp. Block, 1995; Harman, 1993). I shall begin by outlining …
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