Articulating Reasons: An Introduction to Inferentialism
This is a meta-linguistic study of meaning, for Brandom (philosophy, Univ. of Pittsburgh) wants to know the meaning of "meaning." We normally take each other to mean things by what we say, and Brandom wants to determine in what this "taking to mean" consists. This leads him to an analysis of conceptualization and then to an inquiry into what separates concept users from non-concept users. He concludes that in making claims and in giving and asking for reasons, concept users show mastery over the inferences that are logically entailed in the concepts. Non-concept usersDparrots in one illustrationDcannot do this. Meaning, then, appears to consist in the application and understanding of concepts and is limited to beings with a certain cognitive apparatus. This synopsis is a bit disingenuous; Brandom deals throughout with most of the central issues in contemporary analytic philosophy, and the level of discourse is highly technical. It is likely that only readers well versed in the subject will find this accessible.DLeon H. Brody, U.S. Office of Personnel Management Lib., Washington, DCCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.