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The nature of reference, or the relation of a word to the object to
which it refers, has been perhaps the dominant concern of
twentieth-century analytic philosophy. Extremely influential
arguments by Gottlob Frege around the turn of the century convinced
the large majority of philosophers that the meaning of a word must
be distinguished from its referent, the former only providing some
kind of direction for reaching the latter. In the last twenty
years, this Fregean orthodoxy has been vigorously challenged by
those who argue that certain important kinds of words, at least,
refer directly without need of an intermediate meaning or sense.
The essays in this volume record how a long-term study of Frege has
persuaded the author that Frege's pivotal distinction between sense
and reference, and his attendant philosophical views about language
and thought, are unsatisfactory. Frege's perspective, he argues,
imposes a distinctive way of thinking about semantics, specifically
about the centrality of cognitive significance puzzles for
semantics. Freed from Frege's perspective, we will no longer find
it natural to think about semantics in this way.
The nature of reference, or the relation of a word to the object to
which it refers, has been perhaps the dominant concern of
twentieth-century analytic philosophy. Extremely influential
arguments by Gottlob Frege around the turn of the century convinced
the large majority of philosophers that the meaning of a word must
be distinguished from its referent, the former only providing some
kind of direction for reaching the latter. In the last twenty
years, this Fregean orthodoxy has been vigorously challenged by
those who argue that certain important kinds of words, at least,
refer directly without need of an intermediate meaning or sense.
The essays in this volume record how a long-term study of Frege has
persuaded the author that Frege's pivotal distinction between sense
and reference, and his attendant philosophical views about language
and thought, are unsatisfactory. Frege's perspective, he argues,
imposes a distinctive way of thinking about semantics, specifically
about the centrality of cognitive significance puzzles for
semantics. Freed from Frege's perspective, we will no longer find
it natural to think about semantics in this way.
In this volume of essays, Howard Wettstein explores the foundations
of religious commitment. His orientation is broadly naturalistic,
but not in the mode of reductionism or eliminativism. This
collection explores questions of broad religious interest, but does
so through a focus on the author's religious tradition, Judaism.
Among the issues explored are the nature and role of awe, ritual,
doctrine, religious experience; the distinction between belief and
faith; problems of evil and suffering with special attention to the
Book of Job and to the Akedah, the biblical story of the binding of
Isaac; the virtue of forgiveness. One of the book's highlights is
its literary (as opposed to philosophical) approach to theology
that at the same time makes room for philosophical exploration of
religion. Another is Wettstein's rejection of the usual picture
that sees religious life as sitting atop a distinctive metaphysical
foundation, one that stands in need of epistemological
justification.
The late 20th century saw great movement in the philosophy of
language, often critical of the fathers of the subject--Gottlieb
Frege and Bertrand Russell--but sometimes supportive of (or even
defensive about) the work of the fathers. Howard Wettstein's
sympathies lie with the critics. But he says that they have often
misconceived their critical project, treating it in ways that are
technically focused and that miss the deeper implications of their
revolutionary challenge. Wettstein argues that Wittgenstein--a
figure with whom the critics of Frege and Russell are typically
unsympathetic--laid the foundation for much of what is really
revolutionary in this late 20th century movement.
The subject itself should be of great interest, since philosophy
of language has functioned as a kind of foundation for much of 20th
century philosophy. But in fact it remains a subject for
specialists, since the ideas are difficult and the mode of
presentation is often fairly technical. In this book, Wettstein
brings the non-specialist into the conversation (especially in
early chapters); he also reconceives the debate in a way that
avoids technical formulation. The Magic Prism is intended for
professional philosophers, graduate students, and upper division
undergraduates.
In The Magic Prism, Wettstein argues that Wittgenstein, a figure with whom the critics of Frege and Russell are typically unsympathetic, laid the foundation for much of what is revolutionary in recent developments in the movement of philosophy of language.
Diaspora, considered as a context for insights into Jewish
identity, brings together a lively, interdisciplinary group of
scholars in this innovative volume. Readers needn't expect,
however, to find easy agreement on what those insights are. The
concept "diaspora" itself has proved controversial; "galut, "the
traditional Hebrew expression for the Jews' perennial condition, is
better translated as "exile." The very distinction between diaspora
and exile, although difficult to analyze, is important enough to
form the basis of several essays in this fine collection.
"Identity" is an even more elusive concept. The contributors to
"Diasporas and Exiles "explore Jewish identity--or, more
accurately, Jewish identities--from the mutually illuminating
perspectives of anthropology, art history, comparative literature,
cultural studies, German history, philosophy, political theory, and
sociology. These contributors bring exciting new emphases to Jewish
and cultural studies, as well as the emerging field of diaspora
studies. "Diasporas and Exiles "mirrors the richness of experience
and the attendant virtual impossibility of definition that
constitute the challenge of understanding Jewish identity.
This anthology is composed of articles derived from a conference,
entitled "Themes from Kaplan", at Stanford University which
discussed the work of David Kaplan, a leading contemporary
philosopher of language. A variety of philosophers participated in
the conference including Robert Adams, Roderick Chisholme, Nathan
Salmon, and Scott Soames. Their papers treat a broad range of
themes related to Kaplan's work: some address his work directly,
others are independent treatments of issues provoked by Kaplan's
thought. The book also contains Kaplan's own previously unpublished
essay, "Demonstratives."This essay formed the basis of Kaplan's
John Locke lectures at Oxford. The essay has been one of the most
influential pieces in the philosophy of language over the last
twenty years.
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