An Essay on Names and TruthThis pioneering book lays new foundations for the study of reference and truth. It seeks to explain the origins and characteristics of human ways of relating to the world by means of an understanding of the inherent structures of the mind. Wolfram Hinzen explores truth in the light of Noam Chomsky's Minimalist Program. Truth, he argues, is a function of the human mind and, in particular, likely presupposes the structure of the human clause. Professor Hinzen begins by setting out the essentials of the Minimalist Program and by considering the explanatory role played by the interfaces of the linguistic system with other cognitive systems. He then sets out an internalist reconstruction of meaning. He argues that meaning stems from concepts, originating not from reference but from intentional relations built up in human acts of language in which such concepts figure. How we refer, he suggests, is a function of the concepts we possess, rather than the reverse in which reference to the world gives us the concepts to realize it. He concludes with extended accounts of declarative sentences and names, the two aspects of language which seem most inimical to his approach. The book makes important and radical contributions to theory and debate in linguistics, philosophy, and cognitive science. The author frames his argument in a way that will be readily comprehensible to scholars and advanced students in all three disciplines. |
Contents
Prologue | 1 |
1 Roots of the Intentional | 8 |
The Atoms of Thought | 63 |
3 Structures for Concepts | 115 |
4 Structure for Truth | 164 |
5 Structure for Names | 204 |
Conclusions | 229 |
| 231 | |
| 241 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
analysis analytic argued argument structure aspects assertion assume atomic aVairs behaviour biolinguistic causal Chomsky classiWer clause cognitive complement complex concept conceptual structure constraints conWguration conXation D-structure denote derivation deWned deWnite distinction diVerent Earth is Xat empirical entailments eVect event example existence explain explanatory expressions external Merge externalist fact Fodor Ford Tengine function grammatical hence human individual integral intentional interface internal interpretation intrinsic John loves Mary Juan Uriagereka judgement kill Bill lexical item lexicon linguistic logical matter Maurice Green meaning mental Merge metaphysical mind minimalist natural language natural number notion nouns ontology particular phonetic phrase physical position predication projection properties proposition quantiWcation question recursive reference referential relation relevant representation Saab seems semantic sense sentence signiWcance simply speciWc syntactic structure syntax thematic thematic roles theory things thought true truth Twin Earth Tyson Uriagereka verb verbal Wgure word Wrst