more from Timothy Williamson

Single Idea 9595

[catalogued under 19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 6. Meaning as Use]

Full Idea

Someone who acquires the word 'gob' just by being reliably told that it is synonymous with 'mouth' knows what 'gob' means without being fully competent to use it.

Gist of Idea

You might know that the word 'gob' meant 'mouth', but not be competent to use it

Source

Timothy Williamson (The Philosophy of Philosophy [2007], 4.7)

Book Reference

Williamson,Timothy: 'The Philosophy of Philosophy' [Blackwell 2007], p.129


A Reaction

Not exactly an argument against meaning-as-use, but a very nice cautionary example to show that 'knowing the meaning' of a word may be a rather limited, and dangerous, achievement.