The nature of meaningfulness : representing, powers, and meaning / Robert K. Shope.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shope, Robert K., 1939-

Series:

Studies in epistemology and cognitive theory (Unnumbered)

Studies in epistemology and cognitive theory

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Meaning (Philosophy).

Representation (Philosophy).

Physical Description:

xii, 327 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield, [1999]

Summary:

In this important new work, Robert K. Shope presents a unified perspective on meaningfulness, spanning such varied topics as the meaningfulness of linguistic expressions and conventional signs, Freud's conception of the meaningfulness of various mental phenomena and instances of behavior, a person's meaning to do something, meaning in the arts, and even life's having a meaning. Shope's perspective is based on a "constitutive" analysis of what it is for one item to represent another. He construes this type of representing broadly enough to encompass even examples that do not involve something being about something else. Criticizing the views of philosophers who attempt to analyze such representing in causal terms, or merely in epistemological terms, he shows that a successful analysis needs to invoke both types of considerations.

Contents:

Section 1 Representing

The Scope of the Investigation 3

The Structure of the Investigation 9

The Method of the Investigation 9

Chapter 2 The Analysis of Representing 17

Representing, Representations, and the State of Representing 17

What-Questions and the Analysis of Representing 20

Epistemic Analyses 21

Causal Analyses 25

A Causal-Epistemic Analysis of Representing 34

A Look Ahead 52

Section 2 Powers

Chapter 3 Are Power Ascriptions Analyzable by Conditionals? 63

Two Ways of Utilizing Conditionals 63

Problems Facing the Analysis of Power or Ability Ascriptions in Terms of Conditionals 64

Chapter 4 Need Power Ascriptions Be Analyzed? 75

The Joke's on Whom? Or: Diagnosing Moliere 75

Are Any Powers Fundamental? 76

Is the Ascription of Powers Scientifically Superfluous? 77

An Example of a Causal Mechanism 78

The Relation of Something's Nature to Its Powers 78

Occasions, Opportunities, and Standing Conditions 81

'In Virtue of' Something's Nature 82

Powers and Susceptibilities 84

Causal Selection 84

'Power' Versus 'Susceptibility' 86

'Powers' for Short 86

Power Ascriptions That Do Not Entail Conditionals 86

Partial Manifestations of Powers 88

Types of Analyses 89

The Identification and Individuation of Powers 90

Chapter 5 Conditional Statements and Powers 95

Preliminary Considerations Concerning Powers 95

The Elliptical Entailment Claim Theory of Conditionals 106

Some Technical Preparations 106

A Definition of Truth Conditions of Conditionals 108

Restrictions on Relevant Powers and on the Universe of Discourse Regarding Generalizations 111

Possible Worlds and What Might Have Been 114

The Relation of Conditionals to Causality and to Statistics; Conditionals That Sustain Generalizations 117

Occasion-Manifestation Chains and Serving As a Means 120

Chapter 6 Nondeviance of Causal Chains 127

Examples of Deviant Causal Chains 127

A Characterization of Nondeviance 129

Nondeviance in Representing 134

Section 3 Meaning

Chapter 7 Analyzing Meaning 139

Grice's Account of the Meaning Common to Language and Nature 139

Schiffer's Fundamental Statements about Linguistic Meaning 141

An Analysis of Meaning That 142

A Sentence's Meaning That h 144

Understanding Usage and Understanding Meaning 151

The Meaning of Acquiring or Retaining a Propositional Attitude 152

The Meaning of Nondescriptive Sentences and an Analysis of Being Involved in the Meaning of a Conventional Sign 153

An Analysis of Having a Meaning 154

Sameness of Meaning and the Meaning of Words or Phrases 155

A Pragmatic Rationale for a Unified Analysis of Meaning That 157

Chapter 8 Reasons for Regarding the Analyses as Constitutive 161

The Ability to Explain Important Facts 161

The Ability to Solve Puzzles 167

Chapter 9 The Meaning of 'Meaning' 191

The Meaning of 'the Meaning' 191

Meaning to Do Something 194

Multiplying Meaning Beyond Necessity 196

Meaning in an Artwork 198

Meaningfulness in General 204

Chapter 10 Further Implications of the Analyses of Linguistic Meaning 209

Reference as an Aspect of Meaning 209

Speaker's Meaning and Speaker's Reference 210

Contextual Implications as Aspects of Meaning 212

Appendix A Backgrounds for Applications of the Analysis of Representing 217

Appendix B Limitations of Naturalistic Accounts of Representing and Meaning 221

'Bases' for Representing and Cummins on the Computational Theory of Cognition 222

Cummins on the Picture Theory of Represention 227

How Cognitive Science Might Regard Representing as Explaining Behavior 238

Stampe on Dretske and Channel Conditions 240

Dretske's Analyses of Natural and Nonnatural Meaning 242

Dretske on Functioning to Indicate 252

Fodor on the Meanings of Kind-Terms and of Mental Symbols, and on a Sufficient Condition of Being about Something 259

Appendix C Further Issues Concerning Representing 271

Representing As 271

Representations 272

Lloyd's Naturalistic Account of Representation and Being about Something 274

Re-Presenting 276

Some Possible Objections 276

Appendix D Modalities, Powers, and Nondeviant Causal Chains 283

Can Possession of a Power Be Analyzed by Means of Modalities? 283

Toward a Powers Account of Modality 288

Is a Description of the Form 'M Is a Manifestation of Power P and O Is an Occasion for That Manifestation' a Modal Description? 295

Characterizing Nondeviance without Modal and Conditional Terminology 297

The Relation of Nondeviance to Efficient Causes and to Flukes 302.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 309-316) and index.

ISBN:

0847692868

0847692876

OCLC:

41628143