Pritchard, TD;
(2017)
Is there something in common? Forms and the theory of word meaning.
European Journal of Philosophy
, 25
(4)
pp. 1675-1694.
10.1111/ejop.12253.
Preview |
Text
Pritchard_EJP-UCLversion.pdf Download (291kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Plato's reflections on Forms have generally been overlooked, in contemporary Philosophy of Language, as a serious resource for illuminating the notion of word meaning. In part, this is due to the influence of Wittgenstein's critical reflections on looking for ‘something in common’ as explanatory for use of a general term. I argue that, far from being undermined, appeal to Forms can both help explain, and provide corrective critical insight into, Wittgenstein's observations. Plato's reflections provide insight into word meaning that is relevant for contemporary research. Relevant considerations include (1) an explanation as to why an item is F; (2) looking to ‘what something is’; (3) the compresence of opposites; (4) whether participation in a Form involves approximation to the Form.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Is there something in common? Forms and the theory of word meaning. |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1111/ejop.12253 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ejop.12253 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Linguistics |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1514693 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
