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Questions tagged [meaning]

The relationship among signs and the kinds of things they intend, express, or signify; a concept central to semantics which is the study of how meaning comes about.

Whatever it is that makes what would otherwise be mere sounds and inscriptions into meaningful instruments of communication and understanding.

The philosophical problem is to demystify this power, and to relate it to what we know of ourselves and the world. Contributions to this problem include the theory of speech acts, and the investigation of communication and the relationship between words and ideas, and words and the world.

[Source : Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy]

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What word do we use when we can't find an adequate one to convey what we mean?

Our unconscious minds do not process words, which are far too cumbersome and limited. They process meaning, which originates with stimulation and then moves from Recognition to Evaluation, Reaction and Storage...and what we store are memories,…
Christopher
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Which philosophers would argue that hard determinism makes life more purposeful than randomness?

It appears to me that randomness could or could not produce something meaningful but either way hard determinism seems a better bet. Is there a writer who explores this territory?
C. Stroud
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What's the term/phrase when someone assumes you take on the diametrically opposed view simply because you negate a position?

What's the term/phrase when someone assumes that you take on the diametrically opposed view simply because you disagree with a position? For example, I recently posted an article challenging monogamy, and the audience jumped to the conclusion that…
John Cooper
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What is the reflection of a mind discarded?

It's my first time in the Philosophy section of Stack Exchange. Since I am a non-native speaker, normally I ask questions in English Language Learners. However, I thought this one was in the field of philosophy, rather than language. So here I…
A.K.
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Why are propositions about Hamlet false while propositions about Louis XIX meaningless?

The following is an excerpt from Russell's "My Philosophical Development," Chapter XIV Universals and Particulars and Names: 'Hamlet' pretends to be a name, but is not; and all statements about Hamlet are false. They only become true when, for…
George Chen
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What does "logically prior" mean?

I'll bold a few examples that Google yielded. Logical Form (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Frege's leading idea was that propositions have “function-argument” structure. Though for Frege, functions are not abstract objects. In particular,…
user8572
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Philosophical approach for discussing the meaning of many words?

I lack a good background in philosophy and often get stuck while trying to understand it. There is a particular issue that keeps me from understanding or enjoying or appreciating many videos or texts on philosophy. I hope you can help me. In such…
user1420303
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Is there any quantifiable way to determine irony?

Irony has always been one of the most subjective words/ideas in the common language. I wonder if this is a perception or a lack of understanding of the concept at a deep rooted level. When does a "dark coincidence" or "paradox" become "ironic"? Is…
Rahul Ranjan
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What's the name of the argumentation position / logical fallacy of saying "well prove it doesn't exist"

For e.g someone says they believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster. When you ask for evidence they reply: "well, prove it doesn't exist!" Surely it's the prerogative of the believer to provide evidence not the non-believer. I claimed this was a…
John Cooper
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What is “moral pathos”?

What is meant by “moral pathos”? I am not sure how to define it as a term. Examples: Have seen it in various contexts, but I'm afraid I have marked me the term more then where and when; thus all I can say is “in some books”. Still, to add some…
user129107
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What does J.S. Mill mean by "if they can once get their creed taught from authority"?

What does J.S. Mill mean by "if they can once get their creed taught from authority"? Does it mean that they receive the authority's creed and consider it their own creed, or that they manage to get their creed accepted by authority and disseminated…
noolodig
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How does one discover their personal meaning?

The question stems from this question. I attempted an answer, but the question I mentioned here was the obstruction from finishing. In the conventional sense, as also put by the question, meaning is, archetypically, seen as derived relative to a…
tryst with freedom
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In the context above, does "the suffering" refer to "animal suffering"?

However, as Bentham realized, most human beings are capable of different sorts of pleasure and pain from other animals. If we focus on the experience of pain, through language we are able to communicate and anticipate likely outcomes of actions in…
XVI
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What is meaning if it is not context?

It is often said that "meaning is context". This is a hollow definition because the context has its own meaning, which is its wider context, and so on until all contexts have been exhausted. It is the same recursive issue as the dictionary problem,…
Guy Inchbald
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Why is reason negative according to Hegel?

Reason is negative and dialectical because it resolves determinations of understanding into nothing; it is positive because it generates the universal and comprehends the particular therein. Hegel, Science of Logic, 28/1: 16 What does this…
Soumya Ghosh
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