Single Idea 2338

[catalogued under 19. Language / B. Reference / 3. Direct Reference / c. Social reference]

Full Idea

Reference is a social phenomenon. Individual speakers do not have to know how to distinguish robins, or elms, or aluminium. They can always rely on experts to do this for them.

Gist of Idea

Reference (say to 'elms') is a social phenomenon which we can leave to experts

Source

Hilary Putnam (Representation and Reality [1988], §2 p.22)

Book Reference

Putnam,Hilary: 'Representation and Reality' [MIT 1992], p.22


A Reaction

It can't just be a social phenomenon. The experts don't just enquire about standard usage, or defer to Hilary Putnam.

Related Idea

Idea 23645 A word's meaning is the thing conceived, as fixed by linguistic experts [Reid]