Semantic externalism
Encyclopedia
In the philosophy of language
, semantic externalism is the view that the meaning of a term is determined, in whole or in part, by factors external to the speaker. According to an externalist position, one can claim without contradiction that two speakers could be in exactly the same brain state at the time of an utterance, and yet mean different things by that utterance. The philosopher Hilary Putnam
has summarized the position with the statement: "meanings just ain't in the head!"
Although he did not himself use the term 'externalism' at the time, Hilary Putnam is generally considered to have invented semantic externalism in his 1975 paper "The Meaning of 'Meaning'", and the Twin Earth thought experiment
he employed there to argue for the position is frequently cited in arguments over externalism to this day.
Externalism is generally thought to be a necessary consequence of any causal theory of reference
; since the causal history of a term is not internal, the involvement of that history in determining the term's referent is enough to satisfy the externalist thesis. However, Putnam and many subsequent externalists have maintained that not only reference, but sense as well is determined, at least in part, by external factors (see sense and reference
).
While it is common to shorten 'semantic externalism' to 'externalism' within the context of the debate, one must be careful in doing so, as there are several distinct debates in philosophy that employ the terms 'externalism' and 'internalism'
.
's swamp man experiment. However, there have been numerous arguments for externalism that do not involve science-fiction scenarios.
Putnam pointed out, for instance, that he has no knowledge that could distinguish elm trees from beech trees. He has precisely the same concept of one as of the other: 'a deciduous tree growing in North America'. Yet when Putnam makes a statement containing the word 'elm', we take him to be referring specifically to elms. If he makes a claim about a property of elm trees, it will be considered true or false, depending upon whether that property applies to those trees which are in fact elms. There is nothing "in the head" that could fix his reference thus; rather, he concluded, his linguistic community, containing some speakers who did know the difference between the two trees, ensured that when he said 'elm', he referred to elms. Putnam refers to this feature of language as 'the division of linguistic labor'.
Philosophy of language
Philosophy of language is the reasoned inquiry into the nature, origins, and usage of language. As a topic, the philosophy of language for analytic philosophers is concerned with four central problems: the nature of meaning, language use, language cognition, and the relationship between language...
, semantic externalism is the view that the meaning of a term is determined, in whole or in part, by factors external to the speaker. According to an externalist position, one can claim without contradiction that two speakers could be in exactly the same brain state at the time of an utterance, and yet mean different things by that utterance. The philosopher Hilary Putnam
Hilary Putnam
Hilary Whitehall Putnam is an American philosopher, mathematician and computer scientist, who has been a central figure in analytic philosophy since the 1960s, especially in philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophy of science...
has summarized the position with the statement: "meanings just ain't in the head!"
Although he did not himself use the term 'externalism' at the time, Hilary Putnam is generally considered to have invented semantic externalism in his 1975 paper "The Meaning of 'Meaning'", and the Twin Earth thought experiment
Twin Earth thought experiment
The Twin Earth thought experiment was presented by philosopher Hilary Putnam in his 1973 paper "Meaning and Reference" and subsequent 1975 paper "The Meaning of 'Meaning'", as an early argument for what has subsequently come to be known as semantic externalism...
he employed there to argue for the position is frequently cited in arguments over externalism to this day.
Externalism is generally thought to be a necessary consequence of any causal theory of reference
Causal theory of reference
A causal theory of reference is a theory of how terms acquire specific referents. Such theories have been used to describe many referring terms, particularly logical terms, proper names, and natural kind terms...
; since the causal history of a term is not internal, the involvement of that history in determining the term's referent is enough to satisfy the externalist thesis. However, Putnam and many subsequent externalists have maintained that not only reference, but sense as well is determined, at least in part, by external factors (see sense and reference
Sense and reference
Sinn and bedeutung are usually translated, respectively, as sense and reference. Two different aspects of some terms' meanings, a term's reference is the object that the term refers to, while the term's sense is the way that the term refers to that object.Sinn and bedeutung were introduced by...
).
While it is common to shorten 'semantic externalism' to 'externalism' within the context of the debate, one must be careful in doing so, as there are several distinct debates in philosophy that employ the terms 'externalism' and 'internalism'
Internalism and externalism
Internalism and externalism are two opposing ways of explaining various subjects in several areas of philosophy. These include human motivation, knowledge, justification, meaning and truth. The distinction arises in many areas of debate with similar but distinct meanings...
.
Arguments for Externalism
Putnam presented a variety of arguments for the externalist position, the most famous being those that concerned Twin Earth. Subsequent philosophers have produced other, related thought experiments, most notably Donald DavidsonDonald Davidson (philosopher)
Donald Herbert Davidson was an American philosopher born in Springfield, Massachusetts, who served as Slusser Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley from 1981 to 2003 after having also held teaching appointments at Stanford University, Rockefeller University, Princeton...
's swamp man experiment. However, there have been numerous arguments for externalism that do not involve science-fiction scenarios.
Putnam pointed out, for instance, that he has no knowledge that could distinguish elm trees from beech trees. He has precisely the same concept of one as of the other: 'a deciduous tree growing in North America'. Yet when Putnam makes a statement containing the word 'elm', we take him to be referring specifically to elms. If he makes a claim about a property of elm trees, it will be considered true or false, depending upon whether that property applies to those trees which are in fact elms. There is nothing "in the head" that could fix his reference thus; rather, he concluded, his linguistic community, containing some speakers who did know the difference between the two trees, ensured that when he said 'elm', he referred to elms. Putnam refers to this feature of language as 'the division of linguistic labor'.
See also
- Semantic externalism as a response to skepticism
External links
- Three True Semantic Externalisms - an article distinguishing three kinds of semantic externalism.