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Semantic Powers: Meaning and the Means of Knowing in Classical Indian Philosophy

Online ISBN:
9780191679544
Print ISBN:
9780198237884
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

Semantic Powers: Meaning and the Means of Knowing in Classical Indian Philosophy

Jonardon Ganeri
Jonardon Ganeri

Lecturer in Philosophy

University of Nottingham
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Published online:
3 October 2011
Published in print:
25 March 1999
Online ISBN:
9780191679544
Print ISBN:
9780198237884
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

The author of this book defends a conception of language as essentially a means for the reception of knowledge through testimony. He argues that the possibility of testimony constrains the form of a theory of meaning. In particular, the semantic power of a word, its ability to stand for or take the place of a thing, derives from the epistemic powers of understanders, their capacity to acquire knowledge simply by understanding what is said. The author finds this account in the work of certain Indian philosophers of language, those belonging to the late classical school of Navya-Nyāya. He presents a detailed analysis of their theories, paying particular attention to the influential 17th-century philosopher Gadādhara. The author examines the Indian account of the meaning relation and its relata, the role of modes of thought as meaning constituents, and the application of the theory to theoretical names and anaphora.

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