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Speaking about the normativity of meaning

lo Presti, Patrizio LU orcid (2017) In SATS Northern European Journal of Philosophy 18(1). p.55-77
Abstract
Contemporary debate on the nature of meaning centres on whether meaning is normative. Agreement is widespread that meaning implies correctness, but disagreement on whether correctness is normative remains. Normativists argue that correctness implies obligations or permissions. Antinormativists disagree and hold that correctness is a descriptive term. This paper argues that, fundamentally, meaning presupposes norms, but not in the generic normativist sense: a vocabulary is recognisable as part of a language if and only if it is part of a practice of committing and entitling to ask for and provide reasons for what is said. To commit and entitle is not obliged or permitted. It is a presupposition for speaking about obligations... (More)
Contemporary debate on the nature of meaning centres on whether meaning is normative. Agreement is widespread that meaning implies correctness, but disagreement on whether correctness is normative remains. Normativists argue that correctness implies obligations or permissions. Antinormativists disagree and hold that correctness is a descriptive term. This paper argues that, fundamentally, meaning presupposes norms, but not in the generic normativist sense: a vocabulary is recognisable as part of a language if and only if it is part of a practice of committing and entitling to ask for and provide reasons for what is said. To commit and entitle is not obliged or permitted. It is a presupposition for speaking about obligations and
permissions. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Normativity, Meaning, Brandom, Sellars
in
SATS Northern European Journal of Philosophy
volume
18
issue
1
pages
55 - 77
publisher
De Gruyter
external identifiers
  • scopus:85029602339
ISSN
1869-7577
DOI
10.1515/sats-2017-0010
project
Metaphysics and Collectivity
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
05d1c6c4-da8a-4d96-9218-98aa711a4be9
date added to LUP
2017-02-07 11:04:58
date last changed
2022-02-14 08:51:25
@article{05d1c6c4-da8a-4d96-9218-98aa711a4be9,
  abstract     = {{Contemporary debate on the nature of meaning centres on whether meaning is normative. Agreement is widespread that meaning implies correctness, but disagreement on whether correctness is normative remains. Normativists argue that correctness implies obligations or permissions. Antinormativists disagree and hold that correctness is a descriptive term. This paper argues that, fundamentally, meaning presupposes norms, but not in the generic normativist sense: a vocabulary is recognisable as part of a language if and only if it is part of a practice of committing and entitling to ask for and provide reasons for what is said. To commit and entitle is not obliged or permitted. It is a presupposition for speaking about obligations and<br/>permissions.}},
  author       = {{lo Presti, Patrizio}},
  issn         = {{1869-7577}},
  keywords     = {{Normativity; Meaning; Brandom; Sellars}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{55--77}},
  publisher    = {{De Gruyter}},
  series       = {{SATS Northern European Journal of Philosophy}},
  title        = {{Speaking about the normativity of meaning}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/sats-2017-0010}},
  doi          = {{10.1515/sats-2017-0010}},
  volume       = {{18}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}