Literal Meaning and Cognitive Content

Literal Meaning and Cognitive Content

Author: John-Michael Kuczynski

Publisher: John-Michael Kuczynski

Published:

Total Pages: 669

ISBN-13:

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A rigorous analysis of the nature of literal meaning.


Book Synopsis Literal Meaning and Cognitive Content by : John-Michael Kuczynski

Download or read book Literal Meaning and Cognitive Content written by John-Michael Kuczynski and published by John-Michael Kuczynski. This book was released on with total page 669 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A rigorous analysis of the nature of literal meaning.


Conceptual Atomism and the Computational Theory of Mind

Conceptual Atomism and the Computational Theory of Mind

Author: John-Michael Kuczynski

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2007-08-23

Total Pages: 539

ISBN-13: 9027292205

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What is it to have a concept? What is it to make an inference? What is it to be rational? On the basis of recent developments in semantics, a number of authors have embraced answers to these questions that have radically counterintuitive consequences, for example: • One can rationally accept self-contradictory propositions (e.g. Smith is a composer and Smith is not a composer). • Psychological states are causally inert: beliefs and desires do nothing. • The mind cannot be understood in terms of folk-psychological concepts (e.g. belief, desire, intention). • One can have a single concept without having any others: an otherwise conceptless creature could grasp the concept of justice or of the number seven. • Thoughts are sentence-tokens, and thought-processes are driven by the syntactic, not the semantic, properties of those tokens. In the first half of Conceptual Atomism and the Computational Theory of Mind, John-Michael Kuczynski argues that these implausible but widely held views are direct consequences of a popular doctrine known as content-externalism, this being the view that the contents of one’s mental states are constitutively dependent on facts about the external world. Kuczynski shows that content-externalism involves a failure to distinguish between, on the one hand, what is literally meant by linguistic expressions and, on the other hand, the information that one must work through to compute the literal meanings of such expressions. The second half of the present work concerns the Computational Theory of Mind (CTM). Underlying CTM is an acceptance of conceptual atomism – the view that a creature can have a single concept without having any others – and also an acceptance of the view that concepts are not descriptive (i.e. that one can have a concept of a thing without knowing of any description that is satisfied by that thing). Kuczynski shows that both views are false, one reason being that they presuppose the truth of content-externalism, another being that they are incompatible with the epistemological anti-foundationalism proven correct by Wilfred Sellars and Laurence Bonjour. Kuczynski also shows that CTM involves a misunderstanding of terms such as “computation”, “syntax”, “algorithm” and “formal truth”; and he provides novel analyses of the concepts expressed by these terms. (Series A)


Book Synopsis Conceptual Atomism and the Computational Theory of Mind by : John-Michael Kuczynski

Download or read book Conceptual Atomism and the Computational Theory of Mind written by John-Michael Kuczynski and published by John Benjamins Publishing. This book was released on 2007-08-23 with total page 539 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is it to have a concept? What is it to make an inference? What is it to be rational? On the basis of recent developments in semantics, a number of authors have embraced answers to these questions that have radically counterintuitive consequences, for example: • One can rationally accept self-contradictory propositions (e.g. Smith is a composer and Smith is not a composer). • Psychological states are causally inert: beliefs and desires do nothing. • The mind cannot be understood in terms of folk-psychological concepts (e.g. belief, desire, intention). • One can have a single concept without having any others: an otherwise conceptless creature could grasp the concept of justice or of the number seven. • Thoughts are sentence-tokens, and thought-processes are driven by the syntactic, not the semantic, properties of those tokens. In the first half of Conceptual Atomism and the Computational Theory of Mind, John-Michael Kuczynski argues that these implausible but widely held views are direct consequences of a popular doctrine known as content-externalism, this being the view that the contents of one’s mental states are constitutively dependent on facts about the external world. Kuczynski shows that content-externalism involves a failure to distinguish between, on the one hand, what is literally meant by linguistic expressions and, on the other hand, the information that one must work through to compute the literal meanings of such expressions. The second half of the present work concerns the Computational Theory of Mind (CTM). Underlying CTM is an acceptance of conceptual atomism – the view that a creature can have a single concept without having any others – and also an acceptance of the view that concepts are not descriptive (i.e. that one can have a concept of a thing without knowing of any description that is satisfied by that thing). Kuczynski shows that both views are false, one reason being that they presuppose the truth of content-externalism, another being that they are incompatible with the epistemological anti-foundationalism proven correct by Wilfred Sellars and Laurence Bonjour. Kuczynski also shows that CTM involves a misunderstanding of terms such as “computation”, “syntax”, “algorithm” and “formal truth”; and he provides novel analyses of the concepts expressed by these terms. (Series A)


Zhuangzi's Critique of the Confucians

Zhuangzi's Critique of the Confucians

Author: Kim-chong Chong

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 2016-10-24

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 1438462859

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Looks at the Daoist Zhuangzi’s critique of Confucianism. The Daoist Zhuangzi has often been read as a mystical philosopher. But there is another tradition, beginning with the Han dynasty historian Sima Qian, which sees him as a critic of the Confucians. Kim-chong Chong analyzes the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi, demonstrating how Zhuangzi criticized the pre-Qin Confucians through metaphorical inversion and parody. This is indicated by the subtitle, “Blinded by the Human,” which is an inversion of the Confucian philosopher Xunzi’s remark that Zhuangzi was “blinded by heaven and did not know the human.” Chong compares Zhuangzi’s Daoist thought to Confucianism, as exemplified by Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi. By analyzing and comparing the different implications of concepts such as “heaven,” “heart-mind,” and “transformation,” Chong shows how Zhuangzi can be said to provide the resources for a more pluralistic and liberal philosophy than the Confucians.


Book Synopsis Zhuangzi's Critique of the Confucians by : Kim-chong Chong

Download or read book Zhuangzi's Critique of the Confucians written by Kim-chong Chong and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 2016-10-24 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Looks at the Daoist Zhuangzi’s critique of Confucianism. The Daoist Zhuangzi has often been read as a mystical philosopher. But there is another tradition, beginning with the Han dynasty historian Sima Qian, which sees him as a critic of the Confucians. Kim-chong Chong analyzes the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi, demonstrating how Zhuangzi criticized the pre-Qin Confucians through metaphorical inversion and parody. This is indicated by the subtitle, “Blinded by the Human,” which is an inversion of the Confucian philosopher Xunzi’s remark that Zhuangzi was “blinded by heaven and did not know the human.” Chong compares Zhuangzi’s Daoist thought to Confucianism, as exemplified by Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi. By analyzing and comparing the different implications of concepts such as “heaven,” “heart-mind,” and “transformation,” Chong shows how Zhuangzi can be said to provide the resources for a more pluralistic and liberal philosophy than the Confucians.


Literary Theory After Davidson

Literary Theory After Davidson

Author: Reed Way Dasenbrock

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 2010-11-01

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 0271041242

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Book Synopsis Literary Theory After Davidson by : Reed Way Dasenbrock

Download or read book Literary Theory After Davidson written by Reed Way Dasenbrock and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2010-11-01 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Radical Interpretation in Religion

Radical Interpretation in Religion

Author: Nancy Frankenberry

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2002-09-19

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 9780521017053

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Publisher Description


Book Synopsis Radical Interpretation in Religion by : Nancy Frankenberry

Download or read book Radical Interpretation in Religion written by Nancy Frankenberry and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2002-09-19 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher Description


Comparative Essays in Early Greek and Chinese Rational Thinking

Comparative Essays in Early Greek and Chinese Rational Thinking

Author: Jean-Paul Reding

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2017-03-02

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 1351950061

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This collection of essays, by Reding, in the emergent field of Sino-Hellenic studies, explores the neglected inchoative strains of rational thought in ancient China and compares them to similar themes in ancient Greek thought, right at the beginnings of philosophy in both cultures. Reding develops and defends the bold hypothesis that Greek and Chinese rational thinking are one and the same phenomenon. Rather than stressing the extreme differences between these two cultures - as most other writings on these subjects - Reding looks for the parameters that have to be restored to see the similarities. Reding maintains that philosophy is like an unknown continent discovered simultaneously in both China and Greece, but from different starting-points. The book comprises seven essays moving thematically from conceptual analysis, logic and categories to epistemology and ontology, with an incursion in the field of comparative metaphorology. One of the book's main concerns is a systematic examination of the problem of linguistic relativism through many detailed examples.


Book Synopsis Comparative Essays in Early Greek and Chinese Rational Thinking by : Jean-Paul Reding

Download or read book Comparative Essays in Early Greek and Chinese Rational Thinking written by Jean-Paul Reding and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-03-02 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of essays, by Reding, in the emergent field of Sino-Hellenic studies, explores the neglected inchoative strains of rational thought in ancient China and compares them to similar themes in ancient Greek thought, right at the beginnings of philosophy in both cultures. Reding develops and defends the bold hypothesis that Greek and Chinese rational thinking are one and the same phenomenon. Rather than stressing the extreme differences between these two cultures - as most other writings on these subjects - Reding looks for the parameters that have to be restored to see the similarities. Reding maintains that philosophy is like an unknown continent discovered simultaneously in both China and Greece, but from different starting-points. The book comprises seven essays moving thematically from conceptual analysis, logic and categories to epistemology and ontology, with an incursion in the field of comparative metaphorology. One of the book's main concerns is a systematic examination of the problem of linguistic relativism through many detailed examples.


Semantics - Lexical Structures and Adjectives

Semantics - Lexical Structures and Adjectives

Author: Claudia Maienborn

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2019-02-19

Total Pages: 577

ISBN-13: 311062639X

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Discover vital research on the lexical and cognitive meanings of words. In this exciting book from a team of world-class researchers, in-depth articles explain a wide range of topics, including thematic roles, sense relation, ambiguity and comparison. The authors focus on the cognitive and conceptual structure of words and their meaning extensions such as coercion, metaphors and metonymies. The book features highly cited material – available in paperback for the first time since its publication – and is an essential starting point for anyone interested in lexical semantics, especially where it meets other cognitive and conceptual research.


Book Synopsis Semantics - Lexical Structures and Adjectives by : Claudia Maienborn

Download or read book Semantics - Lexical Structures and Adjectives written by Claudia Maienborn and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2019-02-19 with total page 577 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover vital research on the lexical and cognitive meanings of words. In this exciting book from a team of world-class researchers, in-depth articles explain a wide range of topics, including thematic roles, sense relation, ambiguity and comparison. The authors focus on the cognitive and conceptual structure of words and their meaning extensions such as coercion, metaphors and metonymies. The book features highly cited material – available in paperback for the first time since its publication – and is an essential starting point for anyone interested in lexical semantics, especially where it meets other cognitive and conceptual research.


Contexts of Metaphor

Contexts of Metaphor

Author: Michiel Leezenberg

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2021-10-01

Total Pages: 331

ISBN-13: 0585473935

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This study presents an approach to metaphor that takes contextual factors into account. It analyses how metaphors depend on and change the context in which they are uttered, and how metaphorical interpretation involves the articulation of asserted, implied and presupposed materials.


Book Synopsis Contexts of Metaphor by : Michiel Leezenberg

Download or read book Contexts of Metaphor written by Michiel Leezenberg and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-10-01 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study presents an approach to metaphor that takes contextual factors into account. It analyses how metaphors depend on and change the context in which they are uttered, and how metaphorical interpretation involves the articulation of asserted, implied and presupposed materials.


Beyond the Letter (Routledge Revivals)

Beyond the Letter (Routledge Revivals)

Author: Israel Scheffler

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-05-13

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 1136961623

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Ambiguity, vagueness and metaphor are pervasive features of language, deserving of systematic study in their own right. Yet they have frequently been considered mere deviations from ideal language or obstacles to be avoided in the construction of scientific systems. First published in 1979, Beyond the Letter offers a consecutive study of these features from a philosphical point of view, providing analyses of each and treating their relations to one another. Addressed to the fundamental task of logical and semantic explanation, the book employs an inscriptional methodology in the attempt to avoid prevalent forms of question-begging, and, further, in the conviction that sparseness of assumption often reveals points of theoretical interest irrespective of methodolgical preference. The author distinguishes and analyses several varieties of ambiguity, developing new semantic notions in the process; recasts the philosophical treatment of vagueness in the light of recent criticisms of analyticity; discusses the bearing of vagueness on logic; and provides a systematic critique of major recent interpretations of metaphor, developing a revised version of contextualism.


Book Synopsis Beyond the Letter (Routledge Revivals) by : Israel Scheffler

Download or read book Beyond the Letter (Routledge Revivals) written by Israel Scheffler and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-05-13 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ambiguity, vagueness and metaphor are pervasive features of language, deserving of systematic study in their own right. Yet they have frequently been considered mere deviations from ideal language or obstacles to be avoided in the construction of scientific systems. First published in 1979, Beyond the Letter offers a consecutive study of these features from a philosphical point of view, providing analyses of each and treating their relations to one another. Addressed to the fundamental task of logical and semantic explanation, the book employs an inscriptional methodology in the attempt to avoid prevalent forms of question-begging, and, further, in the conviction that sparseness of assumption often reveals points of theoretical interest irrespective of methodolgical preference. The author distinguishes and analyses several varieties of ambiguity, developing new semantic notions in the process; recasts the philosophical treatment of vagueness in the light of recent criticisms of analyticity; discusses the bearing of vagueness on logic; and provides a systematic critique of major recent interpretations of metaphor, developing a revised version of contextualism.


The Critical Imagination

The Critical Imagination

Author: James Eric Grant

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2013-04-11

Total Pages: 205

ISBN-13: 0199661790

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The Critical Imagination explores metaphor, imaginativeness, and criticism of the arts. James Grant critically examines the idea that art is rewarding because it involves responding imaginatively to a work. He explains the role imaginativeness plays in criticism, and goes on to examine why imaginative metaphors are so common in art criticism.


Book Synopsis The Critical Imagination by : James Eric Grant

Download or read book The Critical Imagination written by James Eric Grant and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2013-04-11 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Critical Imagination explores metaphor, imaginativeness, and criticism of the arts. James Grant critically examines the idea that art is rewarding because it involves responding imaginatively to a work. He explains the role imaginativeness plays in criticism, and goes on to examine why imaginative metaphors are so common in art criticism.