Deciding what we mean

IF 16.4 1区化学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Accounts of Chemical Research Pub Date : 2023-09-20 DOI:10.1080/0020174x.2023.2255219

Andrew Peet

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Abstract

Stipulation gives us a degree of control over meaning. By stipulating how I will use a term I am able to determine the meaning it will receive on future occasions of use. My stipulation will affect the truth conditional content of my future utterances. But the mechanisms of stipulation are mysterious. As Cappelen ([2018]. Fixing Language: An Essay on Conceptual Engineering. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198814719.001.0001) argues, meaning is typically determined in an inscrutable way by a myriad of external factors beyond our control. How does stipulation override these factors? And the powers of stipulation are limited. Firstly, the power of stipulation is typically short-lived. Secondly, some stipulations simply don’t get off the ground. What explains the limits of stipulation? I consider two related approaches to stipulation and argue that they are unable to capture stipulation’s metasemantic effects. I then provide an explanation of the metasemantic effects of stipulation: Stipulation determines meaning by determining the word use it is fitting to hold the speaker to. This account is able to capture the mechanisms and limits of stipulation, whilst also explaining why we should care about stipulative success. I close by briefly drawing out some lessons for conceptual engineering.

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决定我们的意思

规定让我们对意义有一定程度的控制。通过规定我将如何使用一个术语，我能够确定它在未来使用场合的含义。我的规定会影响我未来话语的真实条件内容。但规定的机制是神秘的。如Cappelen[2018]。固定语言:一篇关于概念工程的文章。牛津:牛津大学出版社。https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198814719.001.0001)认为，意义通常是由无数我们无法控制的外部因素以一种不可思议的方式决定的。规定如何凌驾于这些因素之上?而且规定的权力是有限的。首先，规定的效力通常是短暂的。其次，有些规定根本无法实施。如何解释约定的局限性?我考虑了两种相关的约定方法，并认为它们无法捕捉约定的元语义效应。然后，我对规定的元语义效应进行了解释:规定通过决定说话者适合使用的词语来决定意义。这种解释能够捕捉到规定的机制和限制，同时也解释了为什么我们应该关心规定的成功。最后，我简要地总结了一些概念工程的经验教训。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Accounts of Chemical Research 化学-化学综合

CiteScore

31.40

自引率

1.10%

发文量

312

审稿时长

2 months

期刊介绍： Accounts of Chemical Research presents short, concise and critical articles offering easy-to-read overviews of basic research and applications in all areas of chemistry and biochemistry. These short reviews focus on research from the author’s own laboratory and are designed to teach the reader about a research project. In addition, Accounts of Chemical Research publishes commentaries that give an informed opinion on a current research problem. Special Issues online are devoted to a single topic of unusual activity and significance. Accounts of Chemical Research replaces the traditional article abstract with an article "Conspectus." These entries synopsize the research affording the reader a closer look at the content and significance of an article. Through this provision of a more detailed description of the article contents, the Conspectus enhances the article's discoverability by search engines and the exposure for the research.