Single Idea 1609

[catalogued under 19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 10. Denial of Meanings]

Full Idea

Some philosophers construe meaningfulness as the having (in some sense of 'having') of some abstract entity which he calls a meaning, whereas I do not.

Gist of Idea

I do not believe there is some abstract entity called a 'meaning' which we can 'have'

Source

Willard Quine (On What There Is [1948], p.11)

Book Reference

Quine,Willard: 'From a Logical Point of View' [Harper and Row 1963], p.11


A Reaction

To call a meaning an 'entity' is to put a spin on it that makes it very implausible. Introspection shows us a gap between grasping a word and grasping its meaning.