display all the ideas for this combination of texts
1 idea
8202 | Meaning is essence divorced from things and wedded to words [Quine] |
Full Idea: Meaning is essence divorced from the thing and wedded to the word. | |
From: Willard Quine (Vagaries of Definition [1972], p.51) | |
A reaction: Quine's strategy is that a demolition of essences will be a definition of meaning. Personally I would like to defend essences, though I admit to finding meaning tricky. That is because essences are external, but meanings are in minds. |