Meaning, Creativity, and the Partial Inscrutability of the Human Mind: Second Edition (Lecture Notes)

Julius Moravcsik

ISBN 10: 1575864800 / ISBN 13: 9781575864808

Published by Center for the Study of Language and Information 2017-02-03, 2017

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 6666-GRD-9781575864808

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Meaning, Creativity, and the Partial Inscrutability of the Human Mind: Second Edition (Lecture Notes)
• Publisher: Center for the Study of Language and Information 2017-02-03
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1575864800
• ISBN 13: 9781575864808
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: 2nd Edition
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

This book criticizes current philosophy of language as having altered its focus without adjusting the needed conceptual tools. It develops a new theory of lexical meaning and a new conception of cognition—humans not as information-processing creatures but as primarily explanation and understanding-seeking creatures—with information processing as a secondary, derivative activity. Drawing on these theories of lexical meaning and cognition, Julius M. Moravcsik argues that the ability of humans to fully comprehend human understanding will always be partial. In this second edition, Moravcsik posits a new theory that emphasizes implicitness and context in communication. In this theory, language is presented as a dynamic system with built-in mechanisms for change and expansion, thus further supporting Moravcsik’s overarching thesis that human understanding will always be incomplete.

About the Author

Julius M. Moravcsik (1931−2009) was professor of philosophy at Stanford University.