Meaning, Understanding, and Practice: Philosophical Essays

by Barry Stroud

Meaning, Understanding, and Practice is a selection of the most notable essays of leading contemporary philosopher Barry Stroud on a set of topics central to analytic philosophy. In this collection, Stroud offers penetrating studies of meaning, understanding, necessity, and the intentionality of thought. Throughout he asks how much can be expected from a philosophical account of one's understanding of the meaning of something, and questions whether such an account can succeed without implying that the person understands many other things as well. Most of the essays work with ideas derived from Wittgenstein, and five of the essays focus specifically on Wittgenstein's philosophy. Stroud's helpful introduction draws out the recurring themes he pursues and explains how his ideas and aims have developed over the years.

Genres: Philosophy

252 pages, Hardcover

First published May 18, 2000

About the author

Barry Stroud was a Canadian philosopher.

Reviews

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stroud is an exceptionally clear and engaging thinker and writer. In these essays he treats of just a few themes, but they are far reaching and the implications of the conclusions certain philosophers have drawn over the years has been significant. Stroud visits and revisits the concept of meaning, how intimately it is tied to practice (act, custom, use), and the ways in which it is related to our coming to understand something. He comes at these issues from a variety of angles, many of which stem from the thought of Wittgenstein. By the end you are glad he has done so, as he has shown them to be quite entangled throughout many different areas of thought. Like Wittgenstein, Stroud believes less in proselytizing and more in guiding the reader through a pattern of thought to show (not tell) the ways in which often one cannot do what one thought one could. Effective, engaging, clear, and rich. Highly recommended.

[Elaine]

very good