Lycan, W: Philosophy of Language

Contents Preface Acknowledgements Acknowledgements for the Second Edition Chapter 1:Introduction: meaning and reference Overview Meaning and understanding The Referential Theory Summary Questions Notes Further reading PART I:REFERENCE AND REFERRING Chapter 2:Definite descriptions Overview Singular terms Russell's Theory of Descriptions Objections to Russell's theory Donnellan's distinction Anaphora Summary Questions Notes Further reading Chapter 3:Proper names: the Description Theory Overview Frege and the puzzles Russell's Name Claim Opening objections Searle's "Cluster Theory" Kripke's critique Summary Questions Notes Further reading Chapter 4:Proper names: Direct Reference and the Causal-Historical Theory Overview Possible worlds Rigidity and proper names Direct Reference The Causal-Historical Theory Problems for the Causal-Historical Theory Natural-kind terms and "Twin Earth" Summary Questions Notes Further reading PART II:THEORIES OF MEANING Chapter 5:Traditional theories of meaning Overview Ideational theories The Proposition Theory Summary Questions Notes Further reading Chapter 6:"Use" theories Overview "Use" in a roughly Wittgensteinian sense Objections and some replies Inferentialism Summary Questions Notes Further reading Chapter 7:Psychological theories: Grice's program Overview Grice's basic idea Speaker-meaning Sentence meaning Summary Questions Notes Further reading Chapter 8:Verificationism Overview The theory and its motivation Some objections The big one Two Quinean issues Summary Questions Notes Further reading Chapter 9:Truth-Condition Theories: Davidson's program Overview Truth conditions Truth-defining natural languages Objections to the Davidsonian version Summary Questions Notes Further reading Chapter 10:Truth-Condition Theories: possible worlds and intensional semantics Overview Truth conditions reconceived Advantages over Davidson's view Remaining

William G. Lycan is William Rand Kenan Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina. He is the author of over 150 articles as well as seven books.

"This exceptional text fulfills two essential criteria of a good introductory textbook in the philosophy of language: it covers a broad range of topics well, all of which are the basis of current active research, and does so in an accurate manner accessible to undergraduate students." -Mike Harnish, University of Arizona "...an excellent textbook for teaching. the examples throughout are delightful and students will love them." -Edwin Mares, Victoria University of Wellington