Truth and Meaning: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Language [Paperback]

Kenneth Taylor (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1577180496 | ISBN-13: 978-1577180494 | Publication Date: March 16, 1998 | Edition: 1

This lucid and wide-ranging volume constitutes a self-contained introduction to the elements and key issues of the philosophy of language.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The best blend of technical competence, philosophical sophistication and topical coverage currently available in an introduction to the philosophy of language." Robert M. Harnish, University of Arizona

"This is a first-rate introduction to the topics and philosophers it covers, from Frege through theories of truth to intentional semantics, the metaphysics of modality, translation, language in action, speech acts, and more. The book is well-written, clear, accessible, and thorough. Many students will be stimulated to explore the issues further, and will have a solid base from which to do so." John F. Post, Vanderbilt University

From the Back Cover

This lucid and wide-ranging volume constitutes a self-contained introduction to the elements and key issues of the philosophy of language. In particular, it focuses on the philosophical foundations of semantics, including the main challenges to and prospects for a truth conditional semantics.

Since the book is neither single-mindedly philosophical, nor single-mindedly technical, it is an accessible introduction to the philosophical foundations of semantics, and will provide the ideal basis for a first course in the philosophy of language and philosophical logic.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (March 16, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577180496
• ISBN-13: 978-1577180494
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,744,706 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Cognitive Deadend, February 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Truth and Meaning: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Language (Paperback)

I would like to thank professor Taylor for the minor but real achievement of this book -- helping me come to an understanding of what a dead end the philosophy of language has become since Tarski's day.

A century ago, the "meaning of truth" was a hot subject of debate, and the disputants were such titans as William James, Bertrand Russell, and Josiah Royce. The question was not one of "philosophical semantics" for them, it was about the precondition of knowledge.

The problem is not the trivial one about which philosophers now obsess. We can all agree that if snow is white, then the statement "snow is white" is true. The question for the old-style philosopher was what kind of connection between my mind and snow is presumed in the very possibility that I may truly call it white.