Remnants of Meaning

In this foundational work on the theory of linguistic and mental representation, Stephen Schiffer surveys all the leading theories of meaning and content in the philosophy of language and finds them lacking. He concludes that there can be no correct, positive philosophical theory or linguistic or mental representation and, accordingly advocates the deflationary "no-theory theory of meaning and content."

Along the way he takes up functionalism, the nature of propositions and their suitability as contents, the language of thought and other sententialist theories of belief, intention based semantics, and related issues in ontology.

Stephen Schiffer is Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York Graduate Center. A Bradford Book.

"The subtlety and skill, the range, depth and power of the arguments deployed in Schiffer's book are such as will be expected by any philosopher acquainted with his previous work. That is to say they are truly impressive... Schiffer's book is probably the most significant work in the field that has appeared for a good many years."
- P.F. Strawson, Times Literary Supplement