Description
Semantics aims to describe the significance (or meaning) of linguistic expressions in a systematic way. Metasemantics, or foundational semantics, asks how expressions gain their significance in the first place - what makes it the case that expressions mean what they do. Metasemantics has recently been discussed extensively by philosophers of language, philosophers of mind, and philosophically minded linguists and psychologists. A large concern is semantic indeterminacy, the worry that there is no fact of the matter as to the semantic significance of our words. Ori Simchen offers a distinctly metasemantic strategy to counter this threat. Semantics, Metasemantics, Aboutness is the first book-length treatment of metasemantics and its relation to the thriving research program of truth-conditional semantics.
About the Author
Ori Simchen is Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia. He earned his MA in philosophy of science from Tel Aviv University and his PhD in philosophy from Harvard University. He is the author of Necessary Intentionality: A Study in the Metaphysics of Aboutness (Oxford University Press, 2012) and of various articles in journals such as Nous, The Journal of Philosophy, Notre Dame Journal of Formal Logic, Legal Theory, and the Philosophical Quarterly.
Reviews
Let me conclude by saying that Semantics, Metasemantics, Aboutness is a rich and stimulating work, offering an original contribution to metasemantics, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of mind. it is highly recommended for students and professionals in these areas, as well as to linguists, psychologists, and cognitive scientists. * Gila Sher, University of California, Language *
This book will be of interest to philosophers of language, formal semanticists and metaphysicians generally. However, given the abstract nature of the discussions and the assumption of familiarity with a number of related disciplines, it will be a challenging read for a general philosophical audience. If one does find oneself in the fortunate position of being able to appreciate any of the separate arguments available in this rich text, it will be a most rewarding experience with fascinating insights along the way. * Ryan M. Nefdt, University of the Western Cape, South Africa, The Philosophical Quarterly *
There is much of interest in the book, and I hope that the discussion of the seeming explanatory circularity of metasemantic appeals to sentential truth, the scrambled truth argument, the discussion of the relation between semantic value and less technical semantic notions, and the attempt to link metasemantics with issues in law -- among much else -- will be read and discussed. * Derek Ball, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198792147
Author Ori Simchen
Format Hardback
Page Count 178
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 338g
Dimensions(mm) 223mm * 142mm * 18mm
About the Author
Ori Simchen is Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia. He earned his MA in philosophy of science from Tel Aviv University and his PhD in philosophy from Harvard University. He is the author of Necessary Intentionality: A Study in the Metaphysics of Aboutness (Oxford University Press, 2012) and of various articles in journals such as Nous, The Journal of Philosophy, Notre Dame Journal of Formal Logic, Legal Theory, and the Philosophical Quarterly.
Reviews
Let me conclude by saying that Semantics, Metasemantics, Aboutness is a rich and stimulating work, offering an original contribution to metasemantics, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of mind. it is highly recommended for students and professionals in these areas, as well as to linguists, psychologists, and cognitive scientists. * Gila Sher, University of California, Language *
This book will be of interest to philosophers of language, formal semanticists and metaphysicians generally. However, given the abstract nature of the discussions and the assumption of familiarity with a number of related disciplines, it will be a challenging read for a general philosophical audience. If one does find oneself in the fortunate position of being able to appreciate any of the separate arguments available in this rich text, it will be a most rewarding experience with fascinating insights along the way. * Ryan M. Nefdt, University of the Western Cape, South Africa, The Philosophical Quarterly *
There is much of interest in the book, and I hope that the discussion of the seeming explanatory circularity of metasemantic appeals to sentential truth, the scrambled truth argument, the discussion of the relation between semantic value and less technical semantic notions, and the attempt to link metasemantics with issues in law -- among much else -- will be read and discussed. * Derek Ball, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198792147
Author Ori Simchen
Format Hardback
Page Count 178
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 338g
Dimensions(mm) 223mm * 142mm * 18mm
