Level 56
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Epistemology and Philosophy of Mind

Philosophy of Language and Meaning

The analytic tradition's investigation into how language connects to thought and the world, from Frege's sense and reference to speech act theory.

60-Second Review

Express review

A condensed, point-by-point summary of the module, for reviewing right before a test or exam.

  1. Frege on Sense and Reference. Frege split meaning into sense (mode of presentation) and reference (the object denoted).
  2. Russell's Theory of Descriptions. Russell analyzed "the F is G" as a quantified claim, dissolving puzzles about non-existent objects.
  3. The Early Wittgenstein: The Picture Theory of Meaning. The early Wittgenstein held that propositions are logical pictures sharing structure with facts.
  4. The Later Wittgenstein: Meaning as Use and Language Games. The later Wittgenstein replaced picture-based meaning with use in the practices of language games.
  5. Austin and Speech Act Theory. Austin showed utterances often perform actions, distinguishing locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts.
  6. Grice on Meaning, Implicature, and Conversational Logic. Grice distinguished speaker meaning from sentence meaning and explained implicature via conversational maxims.
  7. Kripke's Naming and Necessity and Rigid Designators. Kripke argued names are rigid designators fixed by causal chains, not by descriptive definitions.
  8. Contemporary Debates on Semantic Externalism. Putnam's Twin Earth argument extended externalism from names to mental content itself.

This module continues after "Consciousness and Personal Identity" in the syllabus. If you haven't reviewed it yet, it may help set the context.

Key points

Visual module map

1Frege on Sense and Reference
2The Early Wittgenstein: The Picture Theory of Meaning
3Austin and Speech Act Theory
4Grice on Meaning, Implicature, and Conversational Logic
5Contemporary Debates on Semantic Externalism

Alternative visual view: a simplified sequence of some of the module's key points, in their order within the syllabus.

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Final test

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Optional mini-games

Extra practice, with no penalty, to reinforce the module's content.

Review Flashcards

Review each key point with cards that flip to reveal the summary.

Memory

Match each concept with its definition in as few attempts as possible.

Time Attack

Answer true or false statements before time runs out.

Chronological Order

Put the module's key points back in their original order.

Further reading

Bibliography and cited sources used to create this module.

  • Frege, G. (1892). "Über Sinn und Bedeutung." Zeitschrift für Philosophie und philosophische Kritik, 100, 25–50.
  • Russell, B. (1905). "On Denoting." Mind, 14(56), 479–493.
  • Wittgenstein, L. (1921/1922). Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (C.K. Ogden, Trans.). London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.
  • Wittgenstein, L. (1953). Philosophical Investigations (G.E.M. Anscombe, Trans.). Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
  • Austin, J.L. (1962). How to Do Things with Words (J.O. Urmson, Ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  • Grice, H.P. (1989). Studies in the Way of Words. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  • Kripke, S. (1980). Naming and Necessity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  • Putnam, H. (1975). "The Meaning of 'Meaning'." In Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Vol. 7 (pp. 131–193). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.