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Full Idea
'Conceptual role semantics' says the logical constants mean what they do by virtue of figuring in certain inferences and/or sentences involving them and not others, ..so some inferences and sentences are constitutive of an expression's meaning.
Gist of Idea
'Conceptual role semantics' says terms have meaning from sentences and/or inferences
Source
Paul Boghossian (Analyticity Reconsidered [1996], §III)
Book Ref
-: 'Nous' [-], p.16
A Reaction
If the meaning of the terms derives from the sentences in which they figure, that seems to be meaning-as-use. The view that it depends on the inferences seems very different, and is a more interesting but more risky claim.
18818 | Sentence meaning is given by the actions to which it would lead [Ramsey] |
12588 | Meaning from use of thoughts, constructed from concepts, which have a role relating to reality [Harman] |
12589 | Some regard conceptual role semantics as an entirely internal matter [Harman] |
12600 | The content of thought is relations, between mental states, things in the world, and contexts [Harman] |
16278 | A particular functional role is what gives content to a thought [Lewis] |
18033 | The meaning of a representation is its role in thought, perception or decisions [Block] |
12634 | 'Inferential-role semantics' says meaning is determined by role in inference [Fodor] |
3003 | Very different mental states can share their contents, so content doesn't seem to be constructed from functional role [Fodor] |
9640 | A term can have not only a sense and a reference, but also a 'computational role' [Brown,JR] |
9378 | If meaning depends on conceptual role, what properties are needed to do the job? [Boghossian] |
9377 | 'Conceptual role semantics' says terms have meaning from sentences and/or inferences [Boghossian] |
21641 | Inferential role semantics is an alternative to semantics that connects to the world [Hofweber] |