COVID-19 update Stanford Libraries e-resources are available to support you during remote instruction. At this time, physical access to materials is unavailable and locations remain closed. read more
If you can’t find a digital version of an item you need in SearchWorks or HathiTrust, we’ll do our best to buy it. Request a digital item.
First edition. - Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2019.
Description
Book — xiii, 206 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Summary
Preface
1: Semantic Analysis and Metaphysical Inquiry
2: The Metaphysical Modesty of Narrowly Linguistic Semantics
3: The Way of Ideas and the Way of Reference
4: Some Considerations against the Way of Ideas
5: Modesty as Incompleteness: Feature or Bug?
6: Against the Metaphysical Transparency of Semantic Adicity
7: Metaphysical Embarrassment, Indefinite Modifiability and Rules of Use
8: Conclusion: A Way Forward in Semantics and Metaphysics.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)
Meaning Diminished examines the complex relationship between semantic analysis and metaphysical inquiry. Kenneth A. Taylor argues that we should expect linguistic and conceptual analysis of natural language to yield far less metaphysical insight into what there is - and the nature of what there is - than many philosophers have imagined. Taking a strong stand against the so-called linguistic turn in philosophy, Taylor contends that philosophers as diverse as Kant, with his Transcendental Idealism, Frege, with his aspirational Platonism, Carnap with his distinction between internal and external questions, and Strawson, with his descriptive metaphysics, have placed too much confidence in the ability of linguistic and conceptual analysis to achieve deep insight into matters of ultimate metaphysics. He urges philosophers who seek such insight to turn away from the interrogation of language and concepts and back to the more direct interrogation of reality itself. In doing so, he maps out the way forward toward a metaphysically modest semantics, in which semantics carries less weighty metaphysical burdens, and toward a revisionary and naturalistic metaphysics, untethered to the a priori analysis of ordinary language. (source: Nielsen Book Data)
Concepts vs conceptions : a referentialist approach
What that clauses do not specify
Recanati's accommodationist neo-russellianism
Meaning, reference, and cognitive significance.
Referentialism has underappreciated consequences for our misunderstanding of the ways in which mind, language and world relate to one another. In exploring these consequences, this book defends a version of referentialism about names, demonstratives and indexicals, in a manner appropriate for scholars and students in philosophy or the cognitive sciences. To demonstrate his view, Kenneth A. Taylor offers original and provocative accounts of a wide variety of semantic, pragmatic and psychological phenomena, such as empty names, proportional attitude contexts, the nature of concepts, and the ultimate source and nature of normativity. (source: Nielsen Book Data)
2. Definite Descriptions and Other Objects of Wonder.
3. Truth and Meaning: the Tarskian Paradigm.
4. Foundations of Intentional Semantics.
5. Language and Context.
6. Language in Action.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)
This lucid and wide-ranging volume constitutes a self-contained introduction to the elements and key issues of the philosophy of language. In particular, it focuses on the philosophical foundations of semantics, including the main challenges to and prospects for a truth conditional semantics.Since the book is neither single-mindedly philosophical, nor single-mindedly technical, it is an accessible introduction to the philosophical foundations of semantics, and will provide the ideal basis for a first course in the philosophy of language and philosophical logic. (source: Nielsen Book Data)
KALW (Radio station : San Francisco, Calif.), April 23, 2017
Description
Sound recording — 1 audio file
Summary
Phenomenology is the philosophical study of experience and consciousness, performed by philosophers ranging from Sartre and Heidegger to contemporary analytic philosophers of mind. But what methods do phenomenologists use to study the mind and experience in general? How can phenomenology help us understand a range of human experiences from agency to awe? And why does neuroscience and cognitive science need phenomenology? John and Ken learn what it’s like to talk to Shaun Gallagher from the University of Memphis, author of How the Body Shapes the Mind.
KALW (Radio station : San Francisco, Calif.), June 12, 2016
Description
Sound recording — 1 audio file
Summary
"Blessed are the sleepy ones," write Nietzsche, "for they shall soon drop off." Sleep is an extraordinarily, albeit profoundly odd, phenomenon, yet we seem to accept prolonged nightly blackouts without question. Still, sleep has played a major role in philosophical thought, with the likes of Aristotle, Locke, and Leibniz putting forth theories about just what exactly sleep and dreams are. So what is the purpose of sleeping and dreaming? How can we distinguish wakefulness from sleep, as Descartes wondered? Do we experience dreams consciously? And do we sleep to live, or live to sleep? Ken and guest co-host Jorah Danenberg stay up with Deirdre Barrett from the Harvard Medical School, co-author of The Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreams.
Authority can refer to people or institutions that have the political power to make decisions, give orders, and enforce rules. It can also refer to a certain kind of expertise or knowledge that we might defer to. Sometimes we respect authority, and sometimes we resist it or even revolt against it. But where exactly does authority come from, and when, if ever, ought we defer to it? How do we challenge authority? What makes an authority figure authoritarian? And can there be anarchist forms of authority? Josh and Ken authorize a conversation with James Martel from San Francisco State University, author of Subverting the Leviathan: Reading Thomas Hobbes as a Radical Democrat.
KALW (Radio station : San Francisco, Calif.), September 8, 2019
Description
Sound recording — 1 audio file
Summary
There is consensus among scientists that global warming is real and that it's caused by human activity. Despite the overwhelming evidence and the urgency to act, there are still many who are skeptical of or flat-out deny climate change. Are these climate deniers simply impervious to scientific evidence? Or have they just not been exposed to the right kind of information? When it comes to ideologically driven views, is it possible to change people's minds by appeal to facts? Or are humans hopelessly and incorrigibly irrational? The Philosophers don't deny talking to cognitive scientist Michael Ranney, head of the Reasoning Research Group at UC Berkeley.
KALW (Radio station : San Francisco, Calif.), October 20, 2019
Description
Sound recording — 1 audio file
Summary
Computers have already surpassed us in their ability to perform certain cognitive tasks. Perhaps it won't be long till every household has a super intelligent robot who can outperform us in almost every domain. While future AI might be excellent at appearing conscious, could AI ever actually become conscious? Would forcing conscious robots to work for us be akin to slavery? And could we design AI that specifically lacks consciousness, or is consciousness an emergent property of intelligence? Josh and Ken welcome Susan Schneider, Director of the AI, Mind and Society Group at the University of Connecticut and author of Artificial You: A.I. and the Future of Your Mind.
KALW (Radio station : San Francisco, Calif.), January 27, 2019
Description
Sound recording — 1 audio file
Summary
Bertrand Russell said that envy was one of the most potent causes of unhappiness, and it's well known as one of the seven deadly sins. But is envy always a bad thing? Is it simply a petty emotion we should try to avoid, or could envy help us understand ourselves more? Is envy rooted in unhealthy comparison with others, or does it come from our own vision of excellence? Could envy even be used to improve ourselves? Josh and Ken consider whether to envy their guest, Sara Protasi from the University of Puget Sound.
KALW (Radio station : San Francisco, Calif.), September 29, 2019
Description
Sound recording — 1 audio file
Summary
In both everyday life and science, we often feel the pull of simpler, more elegant, or more beautiful explanations. For example, you notice the street is wet and infer the best explanation is that it rained earlier. But are we justified in assuming these tidy explanations are most likely to be true? What makes an explanation "simple" or "elegant" in the first place? And can the "loveliness" of an explanation ever be a good guide to its "likeliness"? Josh and Ken try to explain things with Princeton University psychologist Tania Lombrozo, co-editor of Oxford Studies in Experimental Philosophy.
Humans evolved to have a variety of senses—smell, sight, touch, etc.—that provide information about the world around us. Our brains use this sensory information to construct a particular picture of reality. But what if it were technologically possible to hack our brains and create new senses for humans, such as echolocation or magnetoception? How would our brains integrate this new kind of information? What would it be like to perceive the world using these strange new senses? And how would these novel senses change our view of reality? Josh and Ken sense they'll talk to neuroscientist David Eagleman, author of The Brain: The Story of You.
KALW (Radio station : San Francisco, Calif.), March 10, 2019
Description
Sound recording — 1 audio file
Summary
Whether for economic reasons or to flee violence and persecution, immigration rates continue to climb globally. At the same time, opposition to immigration and intolerance of multiculturalism is also growing. Should cultural or ethnic identity ever be a factor in immigration policy? Do immigrants have an obligation to assimilate to the dominant culture? Or should we make cultural accommodations for immigrants who don't share our values and traditions? Do the answers vary depending on how culturally diverse or homogenous the host country already is? The Philosophers lift the gate for Sarah Song from the UC Berkeley School of Law, author of Immigration and Democracy.
KALW (Radio station : San Francisco, Calif.), April 28, 2019
Description
Sound recording — 1 audio file
Summary
In a liberal democracy, individuals should have the freedom to give money to charities of their choice. But there's a difference between charitable giving from ordinary individuals and philanthropic giving from extremely wealthy individuals. Whose interests are served when the wealthy give? Should the state continue to encourage big philanthropy with massive tax breaks for the rich? Or should it focus more on taxing extreme wealth? Is big philanthropy destroying democracy? Josh and Ken take alms from Stanford political scientist Rob Reich, author of Just Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better.
KALW (Radio station : San Francisco, Calif.), July 14, 2019
Description
Sound recording — 1 audio file
Summary
Postmodernism is often characterized by its rejection of concepts championed by the Enlightenment, like meaning, truth, reason, and knowledge. Some philosophers blame postmodernism for making cynicism about truth and facts now respectable in political debate. So is postmodernism responsible for "fake news" and "alternative facts"? Or does it simply provide the tools to describe popular distrust of traditional authorities, like science and the media? Must we reject postmodernism in order to rescue truth? Josh and Ken find trust in Thomas de Zengotita, author of Postmodern Theory and Progressive Politics: Toward a New Humanism.
KALW (Radio station : San Francisco, Calif.), August 11, 2019
Description
Sound recording — 1 audio file
Summary
Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe lambasted Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness as a deeply racist work that should be removed from the Western canon. Defenders of Conrad say the novel is simply an expression of its time and not an endorsement of the racist attitudes it represents. So how do we judge the moral legitimacy of older works of literature and philosophy? Should we shun writers for holding racist or sexist views? Or is it important to read—and censure—them? Is it fair to judge authors of the past by today's politically conscious standards? Josh and Ken have no trouble reading with Julie Napolin from The New School, author of The Fact of Resonance: Modernist Acoustics and Narrative Form (forthcoming).
In the U.S. there are over 500 sanctuary cities—municipalities that limit their cooperation with the federal government's immigration law enforcement. Although opponents portray sanctuary cities as besieged by crime, empirical data does not bear out such claims. But what actually justifies sanctuary policies in the first place? Do appeals to public health or safety warrant these measures? Or should lack of cooperation be seen as an act of resistance against unjust federal policies? And how should local municipalities respond to claims that they lack the authority to impede federal immigration enforcement? Josh and Ken find sanctuary with Shelley Wilcox from SF State University, author of "How Can Sanctuary Policies be Justified?"
KALW (Radio station : San Francisco, Calif.), October 6, 2019
Description
Sound recording — 1 audio file
Summary
In George Orwell's 1984, the party's "final, most essential command" was "to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears." Authoritarian regimes call on us to accept as fact whatever they tell us; or worse, as Hannah Arendt says, they get us to a point where we no longer know—or care about—the difference between fiction and reality. So why are so many so willing to reject the evidence of their senses and deny basic, confirmable truths? Is there something about human psychology that makes us susceptible to totalitarian propaganda? And as the appeal of authoritarian leaders grows around the world, how do we guard against such radical thought manipulation? Josh and Ken lure Michael Lynch from the University of Connecticut, author of Know-It-All Society: Truth and Arrogance in Political Culture.
