Metaphysics of Meaning

Description

Jerrold J. Katz offers a radical reappraisal of the ''linguistic turn'' in twentieth-century philosophy. He shows that the naturalism that emerged to become the dominant philosophical position was never adequately proved. Katz critiques the major arguments for contemporary naturalism and develops a new conception of the naturalistic fallacy. This conception, inspired by Moore, explains why attempts to naturalize linguistics and logic, and perhaps ethics, will fail. He offers a Platonist view of such disciplines, justifying it as the best explanation of their autonomy, their objectivity, and their normativity. Jerrold J. Katz is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Linguistics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Preface vii Acknowledgments xiii 1. Introduction 1 2. Wittgenstein's Critique of Theories of Meaning 21 3. Wittgenstein on Rule Following 135 4. Kripke on Rule Following 163 5. Quine's Arguments against Intensionalist Semantics 175 Appendix: Quine's Replies 199 6. The Domino Theory 203 7. The Naturalistic Fallacy 235 Appendix: On Ethics 281 8. Conclusion: The Problems of Philosophy 291 Notes 321 Index 353