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Single Idea 2336
[filed under theme 19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 7. Meaning Holism / b. Language holism
]
Full Idea
Holism immediately suggests that most terms cannot be defined, at least not in a way that is fixed once and for all.
Gist of Idea
Holism seems to make fixed definition more or less impossible
Source
Hilary Putnam (Representation and Reality [1988], §1 p.09)
Book Ref
Putnam,Hilary: 'Representation and Reality' [MIT 1992], p.9
A Reaction
Perhaps there exists a single perfect definition for each holistic system, only graspable by a transcendent intellect. Or why can't there be a matching holistic system of definitions?
The
16 ideas
with the same theme
[meaning always involves an entire language]:
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9180
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Holism says all language use is also a change in the rules of language
[Frege, by Dummett]
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4142
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To understand a sentence means to understand a language
[Wittgenstein]
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1619
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There is an attempt to give a verificationist account of meaning, without the error of reducing everything to sensations
[Dennett on Quine]
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2334
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Meaning holism tried to show that you can't get fixed meanings built out of observation terms
[Putnam]
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2335
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Understanding a sentence involves background knowledge and can't be done in isolation
[Putnam]
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2336
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Holism seems to make fixed definition more or less impossible
[Putnam]
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2560
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Can meanings remain the same when beliefs change?
[Rorty]
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6394
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The pattern of sentences held true gives sentences their meaning
[Davidson]
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2477
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If to understand "fish" you must know facts about them, where does that end?
[Fodor]
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2433
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For holists no two thoughts are ever quite the same, which destroys faith in meaning
[Fodor]
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2761
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If the meanings of sentences depend on other sentences, how did we learn language?
[Dancy,J]
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3000
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Meaning holism is a crazy doctrine
[Fodor]
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7320
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Holism cannot give a coherent account of scientific methodology
[Wright,C, by Miller,A]
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3205
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Semantic holism means new evidence for a belief changes the belief, and we can't agree on concepts
[Rey]
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9381
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If some inferences are needed to fix meaning, but we don't know which, they are all relevant
[Fodor/Lepore, by Boghossian]
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4606
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To understand 'birds warble' and 'tigers growl', you must also understand 'tigers warble'
[Heil]
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