
Contents
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Skepticism about Conventions Skepticism about Conventions
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Coordination Games and Precedents Coordination Games and Precedents
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The Dynamics of Conventions The Dynamics of Conventions
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Our Knowledge of Conventions Our Knowledge of Conventions
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The Language of a Human Population The Language of a Human Population
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Conspicuous Analogies and Nonnatural Meaning Conspicuous Analogies and Nonnatural Meaning
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2 The Conventions of a Human Language
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Published:December 2014
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Abstract
This chapter examines David Lewis' book Convention, which was an explicit response to W. V. Quine's “Truth by Convention” as well as other things he wrote on the so-called conventions of our language and their relationship to analytic truth. Drawing on Thomas Schelling's ideas about “focal points” in “coordination games”, Lewis sought to understand conventions in general, and linguistic conventions in particular, as basically being conserved equilibriums in coordination games, built around established precedents. This allows the conventions to be tacit, while making our choice to follow them still a fully rational one. We often choose to follow the practices we see others following because it makes practical sense for us to do so, but we do not need a written account of the whole system of rules or any overarching rationale to make that rational choice. We just have to be able to figure out what is expected of us in particular situations well enough to be able to produce the right behavior most of the time.
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