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Single Idea 8995
[filed under theme 2. Reason / D. Definition / 7. Contextual Definition
]
Full Idea
A definition endows a word with complete determinacy of meaning relative to other words. But we could determine the meaning of a new word absolutely by specifying contexts which are to be true and contexts which are to be false.
Gist of Idea
Definition by words is determinate but relative; fixing contexts could make it absolute
Source
Willard Quine (Truth by Convention [1935], p.89)
Book Ref
Quine,Willard: 'Ways of Paradox and other essays' [Harvard 1976], p.89
A Reaction
This is the beginning of Quine's distinction between the interior of 'the web' and its edges. The attack on the analytic/synthetic distinction will break down the boundary between the two. Surprising to find 'absolute' anywhere in Quine.
The
14 ideas
with the same theme
[definition relying wholly on facts about context]:
9845
|
We can't define a word by defining an expression containing it, as the remaining parts are a problem
[Frege]
|
9844
|
Originally Frege liked contextual definitions, but later preferred them fully explicit
[Frege, by Dummett]
|
9822
|
Nothing should be defined in terms of that to which it is conceptually prior
[Frege, by Dummett]
|
21560
|
Any linguistic expression may lack meaning when taken out of context
[Russell]
|
19047
|
Bentham's contextual definitions preserved terms after their denotation became doubtful
[Quine]
|
19048
|
Contextual definition shifted the emphasis from words to whole sentences
[Quine]
|
8995
|
Definition by words is determinate but relative; fixing contexts could make it absolute
[Quine]
|
9847
|
A contextual definition permits the elimination of the expression by a substitution
[Dummett]
|
10476
|
The idea that groups of concepts could be 'implicitly defined' was abandoned
[Hodges,W]
|
10142
|
The attempt to define numbers by contextual definition has been revived
[Wright,C, by Fine,K]
|
9961
|
'Contextual definitions' replace whole statements, not just expressions
[Mautner]
|
10204
|
An 'implicit definition' gives a direct description of the relations of an entity
[Shapiro]
|
18776
|
Contextual definitions eliminate descriptions from contexts
[Linsky,B]
|
9955
|
Contextual definitions replace a complete sentence containing the expression
[George/Velleman]
|