Reference and Deference

Author: Woodfield, Andrew¹

Source: Mind & Language, Volume 15, Number 4, September 2000 , pp. 433-451(19)

Publisher: Blackwell Publishing

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Abstract:

According to Putnam, meaning and reference depend on acts of structured cooperation between language-users. For example, laypeople defer to experts regarging the conditions under which something may be called 'gold'. A modest expert may defer to a greater expert. Question: can deference be never-ending? Two theories say no. I expound these, then criticize them. The theories deal with semantic processes bound by a 'stopping' constraint which are not cases of ordimary deferring. Deferring is normally done for a reason, and a rational person is always disposed to defer if there is good reason.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/1468-0017.00143

Affiliations: 1: Department of Philosophy, University of Bristol, UK

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