Metasemantics. New Essays on the Foundations of Meaning

Bibliographic Data

ID10690038
AuthorsBartosz Kaluziński (0000-0001-5796-4925, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume67
Issue266
Pages183-185
Publication date2017-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Philosophical Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0031-8094 • E-ISSN: 1467-9213
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/pq/pqv118
OpenAlexW2529539201
LanguageEN
Citations received18

It is a not so common situation when a book's ‘Introduction’ makes a significant contribution to the questions that it concerns. But this is the case with Metasemantics. New Essays on the Foundations of Meaning, edited by Alexis Burgess and Brett Sherman. The editors’ ‘Introduction’ brings important clarification on the subject matter of metasemantics. Traditionally, it was distinguished from semantics and named ‘foundational semantics’ or ‘metasemantics’, but Burgess and Sherman go deeper and try to define its sub-disciplines and subject matter more precisely. They make a valid claim that the three dimensions of metasemantics are (1) basic metasemantics (that tries to address grounding question, this is what non-semantic facts the semantic ones are based on), (2) theory of meaning (concerned with the essence or nature of meaning, for instance, it wonders if meaning is normative) and (3) metaphysics of the semantic values (that investigates if semantic values should be conceived in terms of truth and reference or rather in terms of their roles, it also investigates the nature of propositions). I find the ‘Introduction’ the most valuable part of the book and, perhaps, the only part that could be suitable to place on the reading list for undergraduates. From 13 articles included in this book, some (especially the ones by Caie or Eklund) require from the reader a little knowledge of philosophical logic.

Epistemology · Linguistics · Meaning (existential) · Metaphysics · Normative · Reading (process) · Semantic theory of truth · Semantics (computer science) · Subject (documents) · Computer Science · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Linguistic research and analysis · Philosophy

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