How to Think about Meaning

According to the dominant theory of meaning, truth-conditional semantics, to explain the meaning of a statement is to specify the conditions necessary and sufficient for its truth. Classical truth-conditional semantics is coming under increasing attack, however, from contextualists and inferentialists, who agree that meaning is located in the mind.

How to Think about Meaning develops an even more radical mentalist semantics, which it does by shifting the object of semantic inquiry. Whereas for classical semantics the object of analysis is an abstract sentence or utterance such as Grass is green, for attitudinal semantics the object of inquiry is a propositional attitude such as Speaker so-and-so thinks grass is green. Explicit relativization to some speaker S allows for semantic theory then to make contact with psychology, sociology, historical linguistics, and other empirical disciplines.

Challenges truth-conditional semantics Develops a cognitivist or mentalist theory of meaning Examines the nature of hate speech Examines the nature of ambiguity Proposes a new solution to the semantic paradoxes

Inhalt
Theoretical Issues.- The Case of the Missing Truth-Conditions.- Foundations of Attitudinal Semantics.- Objections and Replies.- Case Studies.- Hate Speech.- Ambiguity.- Quotation and Use-Mention.- Liars and Truth-Tellers.