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Single Idea 16401

[filed under theme 19. Language / C. Assigning Meanings / 6. Truth-Conditions Semantics ]

Full Idea

To understand what is said in an utterance of 'The first dog born at sea was a basset hound', one needs to know what the world would have been like in order for what was said in that utterance to be true.

Gist of Idea

To understand an utterance, you must understand what the world would be like if it is true

Source

Robert C. Stalnaker (Reference and Necessity [1997], 3)

Book Ref

Stalnaker,Robert C.: 'Ways a World Might Be' [OUP 2003], p.172


A Reaction

Put like that, the idea is undeniable. Understanding involves truth conditions. Does mean involve the understanding of the meaning. What do you understand when you understand a sentence? Just facts about dogs? Or something in the sentence?


The 15 ideas with the same theme [giving meaning by specifying how sentences would be true]:

The theory of definite descriptions aims at finding correct truth conditions [Russell, by Lycan]
Truth-condition theorists must argue use can only be described by appeal to conditions of truth [Dummett]
The truth-conditions theory must get agreement on a conception of truth [Dummett]
Davidson's theory of meaning focuses not on terms, but on relations between sentences [Rorty]
Top-down semantic analysis must begin with truth, as it is obvious, and explains linguistic usage [Davidson]
Community implies assertability-conditions rather than truth-conditions semantics [Kripke, by Hanna]
I can understand "He has a beard", without identifying 'he', and hence the truth conditions [Jackson]
Truth in a language is explained by how the structural elements of a sentence contribute to its truth conditions [Harman]
To understand an utterance, you must understand what the world would be like if it is true [Stalnaker]
Externalist semantics are necessary to connect the contents of beliefs with how the world is [Fodor]
Semantic content is a proposition made of sentence constituents (not some set of circumstances) [Soames]
There is information if there are symbols which refer, and which can combine into a truth or falsehood [McGinn]
Truth conditions will come out the same for sentences with 'renate' or 'cordate' [Lycan]
Truth-conditions as subject-matter has problems of relevance, short cut, and reversal [Yablo]
If truth is deflationary, sentence truth-conditions just need good declarative syntax [Miller,A]