Meaning, Thought, and Reality

Meaning, Thought, and Reality

1. Referring

   • Action of picking out or identifying the words

2. Refer

   • The entity referred to

3. Referential

   • give meanings of words ans entences by showing hoy they relate to situations

4. Representational

   • emphasis on the way our reports of reality are influenced by the conceptual structures

5. Types of reference

   • nominals
     • names
       • description theory
         • a name is taken as a label for knowledge about referent
       • casual theory
         • names are socially inherited
       • grounding
     • natural kinds
       • nouns referring to classes in nature
       • quantifiers
   • constant
   • variable
   • referent

6. Mental representations

   • level between words and world
     • the words lexicalized depen on their utility
       • when describing a word we need define them by using necessary and sufficient conditions
         • prototypes
           • model of concepts viewed as structured so that there are central members

7. Words concepts and meanings

   • linguistic relativity
     • lexicalized concepts impose restrictions on ways of thinking
       • language of thought
         • thinking and speaking involve distincs levels of representation