We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. The phengmenology of our expe rience with mirror images represents the experimentum crucis for testing. By interweaving the historical development of the subject with a thematic overview of radically different approaches to theories of meaning he gives readers the tools necessary to understand contemporary analytic philosophy. Nevertheless, given the expository purposes of this article, thats mostly what i will do. Locke, john, 16321704 contributions in philosophy of language. Millers book is intended to provide a contemporary introduction to the philosophy of language to the nonexpert reader.
Each chapter gives the theory and arguments of one the major theorists of the 20th century frege, russell, wittgensein, grice et al, and there is a section at the end of each chapter defining the main counterarguments and giving information on the authors who have tendered them. Starting with gottlob freges foundational theories of sense and reference, miller provides a useful introduction to the formal logic used in all. Readings on p drive from the following books please compile all the readings in a reading folder. Alexander miller is professor of philosophy at the university of birmingham, uk.
It is a simplification, not to say artificial, to summarize twentiethcentury angloamerican philosophy of language in terms of only two dominant perspectives. While it assumes no prior background in philosophy, it is intended for students who have already done at least one philosophy course e. In their separate efforts to clarify mathematics through the use of logic in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, frege and russell both recognized the need for rigorous and systematic semantic analysis of. Alex millers accessible survey shows that philosophy of language is at the centre of the energetic philosophical activity of this century. Russell and the linguistic philosophy it is generally acknowledged that bertrand russell played a vital role in the socalled revolution that has taken place in twentieth century angloamerican philosophy, the revolution that has led many philo sophers virtually to equate philosophy with some variety or varieties of linguistic analysis. Since then they have pulled up their drawbridges, ceased communicating, and, like groups separated by mountains or. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the us or from the uk, depending on stock availability. It is an introductory course in that it presupposes no previous acquaintance with the field.
Logic and philosophy of language published or distributed by the university of chicago press. Philosophy of language is, above all else, the midwife of the scientific study of language, and language use. This engaging and accessible introduction to the philosophy of language is an unrivalled guide to one of the liveliest and most challenging areas of philosophy and the new edition captures the vibrant energy of current debate. He communicates a sense of active philosophical debate by confronting the views of the early theorists concerned with building systematic theories such as frege, bertrand russell, and the logical positivists. An introduction to the philosophy of language by michael morris. We then turn to the philosophical examination of language, guided by the lycan book.
It is more than just a level of conscious knowledge with which to talk about, or to generate concern for proper usage of, language. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Bertrand russells philosophy of language springerlink. Peter benson tells us what language is and isnt according to jacques derrida. Alex miller has held the chair in philosophy at the university of otago since june 2012, and was head of the. The guides to further reading provided in each chapter help the reader pursue interesting topics further and facilitate using the book in conjunction with primary sources. The resulting ten essays would eventually be published in 1965 in the annual magazine of the brazilian institute of technology and aeronautics ita, and published here for the first time in. Philosophy of language provides a comprehensive, meticulous survey of twentiethcentury and. Scope and background thought, communication, and understanding. Alexander miller, judgementdependence, tacit knowledge and. Philosophy of language provides a comprehensive, meticulous survey of twentiethcentury and contemporary philosophical theories of meaning. An introduction revised and expanded 2nd edn, 20, philosophy of language revised and expanded 2nd edn, 2007, and rulefollowing and meaning with crispin wright, 2002. Philosophy of teaching grammar grammar, as i shall define it in this philosophy, is more than just knowledge of rules and standards as they pertain to usage.
Works such as experience and nature 1925 and logic. This book gives an excellent allround introduction to the philosophy of language. Gilbert harman princeton university july 6, 2009 in these remarks, i try to emphasize the positive and concentrate on what i take to be donald davidsons more important contributions to the philosophy of language. In analytic philosophy, philosophy of language investigates the nature of language, the. Alex miller s accessible survey shows that philosophy of language is at the centre of the energetic philosophical activity of this century. Studies metaphysics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind. Jul 04, 2014 ludwig wittgenstein 18891951 shifted the emphasis in analytic philosophy to philosophy of language developed a theory which saw propositions as logical pictures of states of affairs in the world, sentences were only meaningful if they painted logical pictures destroyed metaphysics and godtalk, considering these as nonsense along. In this textbook, michael morris offers a critical introduction to the central issues of the philosophy of language. Alexander miller philosophy of language provides a comprehensive, meticulous survey of twentiethcentury and contemporary philosophical theories of meaning. Miller s book is intended to provide a contemporary introduction to the philosophy of language to the nonexpert reader. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the us or from the. Thisengaging and accessible introduction to the philosophy of language is an unrivalled guide to one of the liveliest and most challenging areas of philosophy and the new edition captures the vibrant energy of current debate. Language use is a remarkable fact about human beings.
Philosophy deals with problems that require a speculative rather than experimental approach. Philosophy isnt about memorizing the positions of others or about mastering a vernacular. The philosophy of language is an intimidating field, even to people who know a lot about language. Alexander miller is professor of philosophy at the university of otago, new zealand. Alex miller, university of otago, philosophy department, faculty member. Find materials for this course in the pages linked along the left. Interweaving the historical development of the subject with a thematic overview of the different approaches to meaning, the book provides students with the tools necessary to understand contemporary analytic philosophy. Logicism and the philosophy of language broadview press. Philosophy of language by alex miller, paperback barnes. Colin mcginn is a lucid and surefooted guide through this murky terrain, and this is the book that many of us have been waiting for. Philosophy of language, second edition mcgillqueens university. Interweaving the historical development of the subject with a thematic overview of the different approaches to meaning, the book provides students with the tools necessary to understand. For instance, it is uncontroversial that both 1 and 2 are contextsensitive.
An introduction to philosophy of language through systematic and accessible explanations of ten classic texts by such thinkers as frege, kripke, russell, and putnam. During the first half of the twentieth century, philosophy of language was generally concerned less with language use than with meanings of linguistic expressions. Chapter 7 mirrors tackles the question of a threshold between semiotic and presemiotic phenomena. Early in the twentieth century, philosophy diverged into two camps. Dewey and the linguistic turn john deweys mature thought is situated in the midst of 20th century philosophy. This engaging and accessible introduction to the philosophy of language provides an important guide to one of the liveliest and most challenging areas of study in philosophy. A companion to the philosophy of language wiley online books. The following comments pertain to the 1998 version of the text. Lectures well start by discussing language at a somewhat general level. Each chapter focusses on one or two texts which have had a seminal influence on work in the subject, and uses these as a way of approaching both the central topics and the various traditions of dealing with them. Lecture notes introduction to philosophy of language. Davidsons contribution to the philosophy of language. Routledge encyclopedia of philosophy philosophy of language. Philosophy of language by alexander miller, 9780415718950, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
Many beginning students in philosophy of language find themselves grappling with dense and difficult texts not easily understood by someone new to the field. This is designed as an introduction to philosophy of language. Starting with gottlob freges foundational theories of sense and reference, miller provides a useful introduction to the formal logic used in all subsequent philosophy of language. Its underlying methodology, the development of languages for speci. Part 2 explores new ways of thinking about what meaning is, and how it is distinguished from aspects of language use. Philosophy of language 3rd edition alexander miller. Jan 29, 2018 alexander miller is professor of philosophy at the university of otago, new zealand. Logicism and the philosophy of language brings together the core works by gottlob frege and bertrand russell on logic and language. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Philosophy of language by alexander miller abebooks. Indeed, meanings were abstracted from the linguistic items that have them, and indicative sentences were often equated with statements, which in turn were equated with propositions. Introduction to philosophy of language robin mckenna. The role of linguistics in the philosophy of language.
Jan 29, 2018 philosophy of language provides a comprehensive, meticulous survey of twentiethcentury and contemporary philosophical theories of meaning. Alex millers accessible survey shows that philosophy of lang. And indeed in marxism and the philosophy of language, bachtinvoloshinov used the expression philosophy of language for his own research as it unfolded in adjacent fields and along the boundaries of disciplines relating to language and signs, concentrating on their points of contact and intersections. Pdf philosophy of language 3 rd edition alex miller. The philosophy of language, sixth edition, is an excellent introduction to such fundamental questions. Philosophy of language by alex miller nook book ebook. Because its investigations are conceptual rather than empirical, the philosophy of language is distinct from linguistics, though of course it must pay attention to the facts that linguistics and related disciplines reveal. Miller s clear, engaged, and coherently structured approach makes philosophy of language an ideal text for undergraduate courses. Millers clear, engaged, and coherently structured approach makes philosophy of language an ideal text for undergraduate courses. Philosophy isnt about memorizationits about intellectual growth. Interweaving the historical development of the subject with a thematic overview of the different approaches to meaning, the book provides students with the tools necessary. Conceptual analysis or logical scrutiny of general ideas philosophy vs. An introduction polity press, second edition, 20, coeditor of rulefollowing and meaning acumen, 2002 and coeditor of a companion to the philosophy of language second edition, wileyblackwell, 2017. Ludwig wittgenstein 18891951 shifted the emphasis in analytic philosophy to philosophy of language developed a theory which saw propositions as logical pictures of states of affairs in the world, sentences were only meaningful if they painted logical pictures destroyed metaphysics and godtalk, considering these as nonsense along.
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