MW 1:30-2:45
Douglass Hall 110
Human
language is like a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance
to, when all the time we are longing to move the stars to pity.
--Flaubert,
Madame Bovary
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Instructor: |
Thomas F.
Pyne |
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Office Hours: |
M 10:00-11:00;
T 2:00-3:00; By Appointment In addition I
will conduct ‘virtual’ office hours via SacCT ‘Discussions’. |
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Office Location: |
Mendocino
3016. |
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Phone: |
916-278-7288 916-278-6424
(Phil Dept) |
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Email: |
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Website: |
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/p/pynetf/ |
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SacCT: |
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Required Text: |
A.P. Martinich,
The Philosophy of Language, 5th
Edition. ( |
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Study of
philosophical issues concerning language:
theories of the nature of linguistic meaning, in particular those
involving the concepts of sense, reference, truth conditions, intention,
convention, speech act, and force.
Topics include
the relation between meaning and reference to objects, and between meaning and
mental processes. Emphasis on
contemporary views, including views on the promise of a theory of language to
shed light on fundamental philosophical problems in metaphysics and the
philosophy of mind.
This course is
a systematic introduction to current theories of linguistic meaning with a view
to deciding which (if any) should be adopted.
Topics will
include:
–
syntax,
semantics, and pragmatics;
–
candidates
for the fundamental concept of a theory of meaning: mental representation, sense, denotation,
truth, force, intention, convention, and cause;
–
the
scope of a theory of linguistic meaning and its relation to other
disciplines: epistemology, metaphysics,
cognitive psychology, and sociolinguistics.
The course will
prepare students to adopt a reasoned and informed position on requirements for
a fundamental theory of linguistic meaning.
While PHIL 154
will be in most ways a standard lecture/discussion class, it will be
‘web-assisted.’ That is, we will be
using some features of the SacCT 9.1 course management system.
SacCT 9.1 is a
program designed for on-line college courses.
Among other things, it serves as a location for course material, lecture
notes, tests, papers, and discussions.
I will make
important course content available online, including lecture notes and other
supplementary material.
You will be
taking quizzes and exams, participating in discussions, and submitting papers
through SacCT. In addition, you may
communicate with me, as well as with other students in the class, through the
SacCT Mail facility.
Use your
Saclink account to log into the course from the SacCT
9.1 Login page
(https://www.csus.edu/sacct/).
If you do not
have a Saclink account yet, please refer to the Setting
Up a Saclink Account
webpage (http://www.csus.edu/saclink/settingUp.stm) to create a saclink account
online.
To get started
using a SacCT course please visit the Student Resources
webpage (http://www.csus.edu/sacct/student/index.stm) where you can access Online Tutorials,
Frequently Asked Questions, and other help resources.
The course will
use the communication tools built into SacCT 9.1:
– Announcements: It’s a good idea to check for announcements
from time to time during the semester
– Mail:
You may send me (or classmates) a message via the ‘Mail’ function. I will respond promptly. (I can’t vouch for the classmates.)
– Discussions: You will be expected to participate in
discussions, whether in class or through the ‘Discussions’ function in SacCT.
– Calendar: Exams and due dates for papers will all
appear in the Calendar.
I will be
lurking in the ‘Discussion’ section, usually in the evenings.
To access a
course on SacCT you will need access to the Internet and an internet browser
(Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari). To
ensure that you are using a supported browser and have required plug-ins please
run the Check Browser from your SacCT course.
Refer to the SacCT Browser Tune-up page for instructions.
For help or to
report a problem with SacCT you can:
– Visit the Student
SacCT FAQ’s webpage
– Submit a SacCT Problem Form
– Contact the University Help Desk at
(916) 278-7337
1. Quizzes on Reading Assignments (10%)
You
will be responsible for the readings assigned for a particular class day.
While
you will be responsible for the whole reading, I may indicate in the ‘Schedule’
(below) that you should pay particular attention to some part of it.
As a
result, it may happen that other parts will not be treated in class. You will be responsible for them anyway, and
I will respond to questions regarding them.
The
quiz for a given reading assignment must be taken by the beginning of the class
period for which it is assigned.
I
will open the window for the reading assignment a week in advance; the window will close at class time.
2.
Exam on Concepts and Methods in Philosophy of Language (10%)
2. Midterm Exam (15%) The midterm will be combination of
multiple-choice, fill-in, true/false questions, plus some essay questions. The questions will be on the readings,
lectures, and discussions up to that point.
3. Final Exam (15%) Same as the midterm. The final will cover all the readings,
lectures, and discussions since the midterm.
4. First Paper (4-6 pages) (15%)
See ‘Paper
Topic’ below.
5. Second Paper (6-12 pages) 20%)
Your
choice of topic (consult with me first).
6.
Discussion
Contributions (15%)
You
will be expected to make regular contributions to discussion, either in the
class period itself or in the online ‘Discussion’ conducted in SacCT.
Papers:
Papers will be submitted in SacCT.
In writing the
paper, follow the instructions for argumentative papers found in the
“Guidelines for Writing Philosophy Papers” at the Philosophy Department
website: http://www.csus.edu/phil/WritingGuidelines&GradingStandardsforPapers.htm
To submit a
paper in SacCT:
Philosophy
involves discussion and argument. It’s
the best way to explore philosophical questions, the best way to learn how to
philosophize. So I will expect you to participate
in the discussions. You will either
receive full credit for participation (15%) or no credit, depending on how
seriously you take your responsibility to make contributions. If I notice that you are not participating, I
will let you know that I expect more.
To participate in an online discussion:
–
Enter
SacCT;
–
Open
‘Discussions’ (under ‘Course Tools’ on the left margin’);
–
Click
on one of the topics; you will be able to read the other contributions;
–
You
can contribute to the discussion by clicking ‘Create Message’.
Reading Quizzes
There will be a
reading quiz on every assignment. A
reading quiz will consist of five to ten multiple-choice questions designed so
that a careful reader should be able to answer them. The quiz will ‘open’ a week before it is
due; it will ‘close’ at the beginning
of the first class period in which the reading will be discussed.
To take a
reading quiz in SacCT:
Enter SacCT at https://www.csus.edu/sacct/;
–
Open
the main page for PHIL 154;
–
Open
‘Assessments’ (under ‘Course Tools’ on the left margin of the main page);
–
Answer
the questions (make sure you ‘submit’ each question as well as the entire
exam).
You will have
only one chance to take the quiz, so make sure to ‘save’ each answer and check
your answers before submitting.
I will not
reset an untaken quiz, or one with unsaved answers. It’s your responsibility to get it right.
Exams
The exam window
will open about five days before it is due.
You must take the exam during that time.
To take an exam in SacCT, follow the instructions for taking a reading quiz. The difference between an exam and a quiz will be length, difficulty, and time. You will have 75 minutes to take the ‘Concepts and Methods’ exam and the Midterm, two hours (120 minutes) to take the Final.
Exams will receive numerical grades; the score will be ‘out of’ 100.
Papers
will receive letter grades. To determine
your final grade, I will convert those letter grades into the highest number in
the grade range under ‘Grading Criteria’ below.
(For example, a grade of ‘B’ on a paper converts to ‘89’.)
Reading
quizzes will receive a grade of 2
(full credit), 1 (inadequate
comprehension), or 0 (not taken). An average of 1.7 or above will receive full
credit for the this component of the final grade. Lower scores will be prorated.
Discussion
participation will receive either complete credit or none. Twice during the semester I will let you know
how you are doing, to warn you if I deem your discussion contribution
inadequate.
|
Scaled Score |
Letter Equivalent |
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100-94 |
A |
|
93-92 |
A- |
|
91-90 |
B+ |
|
89-84 |
B |
|
83-82 |
B- |
|
81-80 |
C+ |
|
79-74 |
C |
|
73-72 |
C- |
|
71-70 |
D+ |
|
69-64 |
D |
|
63-62 |
D- |
|
61- |
F |
For reading
quizzes you will be able to see your score as soon as you have submitted your
quiz.
For exams, and
papers I will post the grades as soon as I have finished grading them.
You can see your grades during the semester by going to ‘Grades’ in SacCT.
I expect
attendance at every class meeting. If
for some excellent reason you cannot make class, let me know – preferably in
advance. If this is impossible, let me
know by 5:00 on the day you miss, preferably by an e-mail message within
SacCT. I will lower you a grade
increment for every absence in which you fail to contact me the same day.
Class meetings
will begin at 1:30 am with a roll call.
Be on time. Anticipate. Excuses
don’t cut it: I will treat a pattern of
late arrival as an unexcused absence.
I expect
attention to the material during class periods.
If there is a class discussion, I will serve as moderator.
If you wish to
ask a question, answer a question, or make a contribution to the class, please
ask to be recognized. There is no excuse
for conducting a private discussion during class time. I will treat a pattern of talking in class as
an unexcused absence.
Since
you may take exams at your convenience, there will be no make-up exams. Period.
The opening and closing dates and times for exams will be listed in the
calendar.
For papers, I will leave the assignment window open for five days after the due date. The grade will be lowered a grade increment for every day it’s late.
Students are
expected to be familiar with the University’s Academic Honesty, Policy &
Procedures. The policy on Academic
Honesty and other information regarding student conduct can be accessed from
the University Policy Manual
(http://www.csus.edu/umanual/index.htm).
The University
Library has a helpful treatment of plagiarism at
http://library.csus.edu/content2.asp?pageID=353.
The University has very helpful information on plagiarism at the Library’s Plagiarism Website.
If you have a
disability and require accommodations, you need to provide disability
documentation to Services for Students with Disabilities (SSWD). For more information please visit the SSWD
website
(http://www.csus.edu/sswd/). They are
located in Lassen Hall 1008 and can be contacted by phone at (916) 278-6955
(Voice) (916) 278-7239 (TDD only) or via email at sswd@csus.edu.
Please discuss
your accommodation needs with me after class or during my office hours early in
the semester.
The
The Sac State
Library’s webpage is http://library.csus.edu.
To find a book
or periodical, click on “
For a largely
undergraduate institution, the
To access SacCT
from campus, or use any of the other campus online resources, you can use the
IRT managed student computer labs on campus. See University Labs website , that is, http://www.csus.edu/uccs/labs/generalinfo/about.stm
for information
about locations, hours, and resources available.
SacCT is the
course management system used on the
To learn more about SacCT visit the Student Resources webpage (http://www.csus.edu/WebCT/student/) where you can view online Tutorials, FAQ’s and other help resources.
|
Introduction Everything
starts somewhere, though many physicists disagree. But people have always
been dimly aware of the problem with the start of things. They wonder how the
snowplough driver gets to work, or how the makers of dictionaries look up the
spelling of words. --
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather |
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Week |
Topic |
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Due Dates |
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Week
1 M
8/27 |
M: Introduction:
Philosophical Questions about Language |
M: [Lecture] |
M: |
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Part I: The ‘Standard View’ (and Its Problems) The
truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head. --
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather |
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W
8/29 |
W: The ‘Standard View’ |
W: [Essay 42:
“Of Words,” John Locke (621-626)] |
W: Reading Quiz 1: Locke, “Of Words” |
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Part II: Language
as a System It
became apparent that one reason why the Ice Giants were known as the Ice Giants
was because they were giants. The
other was that they were made of ice. --
Terry Pratchett, Sourcery |
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Week
2 M
9/3 W
9/5 |
M: Labor Day W: Compositionality: Language as a System (Syntax) |
M: W: Martinich, “Introduction,” 2-18 |
M: W: Reading Quiz 2: Martinich, “Introduction,” 2-18 |
Linguistic Relativity, or the “Prison House of Language”-
"It’s called the --
Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad |
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Week
3 M
9/10 W
9/12 |
M: Compositionality: Language as a System (Semantics and
Pragmatics) W: Issues of Linguistic Relativity: the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, “Mars and
Venus,” Ebonics, etc |
M: Martinich, “Introduction,” 18-23 W: Martinich, “Introduction,” 23-26 |
M: Reading Quiz 3:
“Introduction,” 18-23 W: Window opens (2:45 PM) for Exam on Concepts
and Methods in Philosophy of Language |
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Part III:
Alternatives to the Standard View (1): Meaning as ‘Sense “…(A)s
a result of these two magnificent achievements, Frege’s and Tarski’s, we have
gained a deep insight into the structure of our mother tongues.” --Donald
Davidson |
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Week
4 M
9/17 W
9/19 |
M: Frege’s ‘Sense’
W: How a Two-Level Semantics Operates: Reference Shift and the ‘Fregean Hierarchy’ |
M: [Essay 14: “On Sense and Nominatum,” Gottlob Frege (217-223)] W: [Essay 14:
“On Sense and Nominatum,”
Gottlob Frege (223-229)] |
M: Reading Quiz 4: Frege,
“Sense and Nominatum” (All) W: Window closes (1:30 PM) for Exam on Concepts and Methods |
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Part IV: Alternatives to the Standard View (2): Meaning as ReferenceMost
people in Lancre, as the saying goes, went to bed with the chickens and got
up with the cows. [Footnote:
That is to say, they went to bed at
the same time as the chickens went to bed, and got up at the same time as the
cows got up. Loosely
worded sayings can really cause misunderstandings.] --
Terry Pratchett, Maskerade |
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Week
5 M
9/24 W
9/26 |
M: Russell: Semantics Makes
No Sense W: : How a One-Level
Semantics Operates: Reference Shift as
a Syntactical Phenomenon; Russell’s
own concept of reference) |
M: [Essay 15: “On Denoting,” Bertrand Russell (230-234)] W: [Essay 15: “On Denoting,” Bertrand Russell (235-237); Essay 16:
“Descriptions,” Bertrand Russell (239-245)] |
M: W: Reading Quiz 6: Russell,
“Descriptions” First discussion progress report posted in
‘Gradebook’ |
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Part V: Alternatives to the Standard View (3): Meaning as Truth-Bearing Truth is female, since truth is beauty rather than
handsomeness. This would certainly
explain the saying that a lie could run around the world before Truth has got
its, correction, her boots on, since she would have to choose which
pair – the idea any woman in a position to choose would have just one pair of
boots being beyond rational belief. Indeed, as a goddess she would have lots of shoes,
and thus many choices: comfy shoes for
home truths, hobnail boots for unpleasant truths, simple clogs for universal
truths and possibly some kind of slipper for self-evident truth. -- Terry Pratchett, Unseen Academicals |
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Week
6 M
10/1 W
10/3 |
M: A Theory of Meaning is a theory of Truth W: The Davidsonian Program
(cont.) |
M: [Essay 7:
“Truth and Meaning,” Donald Davidson (114-125)] W: Essay 7: “Truth and Meaning,” Donald Davidson
(114-125)] |
M: Reading Quiz 7:
Davidson, “Truth and Meaning” W: First Paper due Wednesday, October 3, 11:30 pm. |
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Part VI: Alternatives
to the Standard View (4): Meaning as Intending Asking
someone to repeat a phrase you'd not only heard very clearly but were also
exceedingly angry about was around Defcon II in the lexicon of squabble. --
Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad |
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Week
7 M
10/8 W
10/10 |
M: ‘Non-Natural’ Meaning – Gricean Intentions W: Grice’s Own Theory on
How Conventions Figure In |
M: [Essay 6: “Meaning,” H.P. Grice (108-113)] W: [Essay 11: “Logic and Conversation” (1781-181)] |
M: Reading Quiz 8: Grice, “Meaning” W: Reading Quiz 9: Grice, “Logic and
Conversation” |
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Part VII: Alternatives to the Standard View (5): Linguistic Conventions Like
an apprentice staring at the work of a master, he read Reacher Gilt’s words
on the still-damp newspaper. It
was garbage, but it had been cooked by an expert. Oh yes.
You had to admire the way perfectly innocent words were mugged,
ravished, stripped of all true meaning and decency, and then sent to walk the
gutter for Reacher Gilt, although ‘synergistically’ had probably been a whore
from the start. --
Terry Pratchett, Going Postal |
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Week
8 M
10/15 W
10/17 |
M: The “Private Language Argument” and the Bug
in the Box W: ‘Kripkenstein’ and His
Amazing Skeptical Paradox (With Its Skeptical Solution) |
M: [Wittgenstein, selections from Philosophical Investigations] W: [Essay 43: “On Rules and Private Language,” Saul
Kripke (626-638) |
M: Reading Quiz 10: Wittgenstein, Philosphical Investigations
(selections) W: Reading Quiz 11: Kripke,
“On Rules and Private Language” |
|
Week
9 M
10/22 |
M: Another Theory on How
Conventions Figure In |
M: [Essay 45: “Languages and Language,” David Lewis
(656-674)] |
M: Reading Quiz 12: Lewis, “Languages and
Language” |
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Part VIII: Alternative (2) Further Elaborated: Reference and Semantic Externalism -
"There's a door." --
Terry Pratchett, Eric |
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W
10/24 |
W: The ‘Twin-Earth’
Argument for Semantic Externalism |
W: [Essay 22: “Meaning and Reference,” Hilary Putnam (306-313)] |
W: Reading Quiz 13: Putnam, “Meaning and
Reference” Window for Exam 1 will open Wednesday, October 24, 2:45 pm and
remain open until Monday, October 29, 1:30 pm. Exam must be taken during that time. |
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Week
10 M
10/29 W
10/31 |
M: The ‘Twin-Earth’
Argument (cont.) W: ‘Denotation’ vs Reference |
M: [Essay 22: “Meaning and Reference,” Hilary Putnam (306-313)] W: [Essay 18:
“Reference and Definite Descriptions, Keith Donnellan (265-277)] |
M: Window
for Exam 1 closes Monday, October 29,
1:30 pm W: Reading Quiz 14: Donellan, “Refe-rence and
Definite Descriptions” |
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Week
11 M
11/5 W
11/7 |
M: Names as Paradigms of
Reference W: Kripke (cont.): the ‘Historical Chain’
Theory of Names |
M: [Essay 21:
“Naming and Necessity,” Saul Kripke (290-305)] W: |
M: Reading Quiz 15: Kripke,
“Naming and Necessity” W: Second discussion progress report posted |
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Week 12 M 11/12 W 11/14 |
M: Veterans’
Day ( W: Revisions to Kripke’s Theory |
M: W: [Essay 23: “The Causal Theory of Names,” Gareth Evans
(314-325)] |
M: W: Reading Quiz 16: Evans,
“The Causal Theory of Names |
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Week
13 M
11/19 |
M: Evans’s ‘Information’
Theory of Reference |
M: [Essay 23: “The Causal Theory of Names,” Gareth Evans
(314-325)] |
M: |
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Part IX: Pragmatics – Introduction Using
a metaphor in front of a man as unimaginative as Ridcully was like a red flag
to a bu-- was like putting something very annoying in front of someone who
was annoyed by it. --
Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies |
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W 11/21 |
W: Russellian Reference
Renewed: Kaplan on Direct Reference |
W: [Essay 25:
“Dthat,” David Kaplan (343-356)] |
W: Reading Quiz 17: Kaplan, “Dthat” |
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Part X: Pragmatics – Indexical Expressions "That's
right," he said. "We're philosophers. We think, therefore we
am." --
Terry Pratchett, Small Gods |
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Week
14 M
11/26 W
11/28 |
M: Indexicals: Indispensible or Just Handy? W: Indexicals as Essential |
M: [Essay 27: “The Problem of the Essential Indexical,”
John Perry (366-376)] W: [Essay 27: “The Problem of the Essential Indexical,”
John Perry (366-376)] |
M: Reading Quiz 18: Perry, “The Problem of the Essential
Indexical” W: |
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Part XI: Intentionality – A Tentative Conclusion This
is very similar to the suggestion put forward by the Quirmian philosopher
Ventre, who said, "Possibly the gods exist, and possibly they do not. So
why not believe in them in any case? If it's all true you'll go to a lovely
place when you die, and if it isn't then you've lost nothing, right?" When he
died he woke up in a circle of gods holding nasty-looking sticks and one of
them said, "We're going to show you what we think of Mr Clever Dick in
these parts..." --
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather |
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Week
15 M
12/3 W
12/5 |
M: Representation, Reference, and ‘Aboutness’ W: Intentionality – A Tentative Conclusion? |
M: [“Misrepresentation,” Fred Dretske] W: [Lecture] |
M: Reading Quiz 19: Dretske, “Misrepre-sentation” W: Final exam window
opens 2:45 pm (Closes Monday, 2:45 pm) |
|
Finals Week M
12/10 W
12/12 |
M: W: |
M : W: |
M: Final exam window closes (2:45 pm) W: Paper 2 due 11:30 pm |
The descriptions and due dates are
subject to change for pedagogical reasons.
1. First Paper Due Wednesday, October 3, 11:30 pm
You
are an amateur astronomer who believes (correctly) of Saturn that it has
prominent rings.
However,
you also believe (incorrectly) of Saturn that it is the largest planet in the
Solar System.
You
say to someone:
(S) The largest planet in
the Solar System has prominent rings.
Having
read the selection from Locke, and followed the debate on meaning as mental
representation, discuss the following issues:
A. According to Locke, does this utterance
express your (true) thought that Saturn has prominent rings?
B. If your answer to (A) is yes, then explain
why the utterance is false.
If
your answer to (A) is no, then what content is there to Locke’s claim that
words stand for nothing but ideas in the mind of him that uses them, “how imperfectly soever or carelessly those
ideas are collected from the things which they are supposed to represent.
C. Take a side.
Is the Standard View correct? If
not, then how else can we explain meaning?
2. Second Paper: Due Wednesday, December 12, 11:30 pm.
Your
choice of topic. Consult with me first.
The descriptions and due dates are
subject to change at the discretion of the Instructor.
Have a good semester.