Pragmatism and Reference by David Boersema

by David Boersema

Despite a recent revival of interest in pragmatist philosophy, most work in the analytic philosophy of language ignores insights offered by classical pragmatists and contemporary neopragmatists. In Pragmatism and Reference, David Boersema argues that a pragmatist perspective on reference presents a distinct alternative - and corrective - to the prevailing analytic views on the topic. Boersema finds that the pragmatist approach to reference, with alternative understandings of the nature of language, the nature of conceptualization and categorization, and the nature of inquiry, is suggested in the work of Wittgenstein and more thoroughly developed in the works of such classical and contemporary pragmatists as C. S. Peirce and Hilary Putnam. Pragmatism and Reference will serve as a bridge between analytic and pragmatist approaches to such topics of shared concern as the nature and function of language.

Genres: Philosophy

Hardcover

First published September 19, 2008

Reviews

[Dan Ust · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would like to write a longer review of this one, but... it's worth studying for his discussion of Searle, Kripke, Wittgenstein, American pragmatists, Apel, etc.