Intentions in the experience of meaning / Raymond W. Gibbs, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gibbs, Raymond W., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Meaning (Psychology).

Intentionalism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (vii, 414 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

What do our assumptions about authorship matter for our experience of meaning? This book examines the debates in the humanities and social sciences over whether authorial intentions can, or should, constrain our interpretation of language and art. Scholars assume that understanding of linguistic and artistic meaning should not be constrained by beliefs about authors and their possible intentions in creating a human artifact. It is argued here that people are strongly disposed to infer intentionality when understanding oral speech, written texts, artworks, and many other human actions. Although ordinary people, and scholars, may infer meanings that diverge from, or extend beyond, what authors intend, our experience of human artifacts as meaningful is fundamentally tied to our assumptions of intentionality. This challenges the traditional ideas of intentions as existing solely in the minds of individuals, and formulates a new conceptual framework for examining if and when intentions influence the interpretation of meaning.

Contents:

Cover; Half-title; Title; Copyright; Contents; Acknowledgments; Part I Introduction; Part II Searching for Intentions; Part III Intentions in Discourse; Part IV Intentions in Criticism; Part V Conclusion; Notes; Name Index; Subject Index

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (p. 339-399) and indexes.

ISBN:

1-107-12718-1

1-280-41856-7

1-139-16405-8

0-511-17800-X

0-511-03972-7

0-511-14848-8

0-511-30265-7

0-511-05370-3

OCLC:

475915391