Meaning (philosophy)
Philosophical study of sense, reference, and significance.
Meaning is the sense or significance of an entity, expressing what it conveys or stands for. Philosophical inquiry into meaning often centers on linguistic meaning, studying how words, sentences, and utterances acquire content and convey information, but also addresses non-linguistic meaning and the meaning of life.
- field
- Philosophy of language, semiotics, logic, philosophy of mind
- key_concepts
- Linguistic meaning, reference, truth-conditional theories, use-based theories, sense and reference
- types
- Linguistic and non-linguistic meaning; word, sentence, and utterance meaning; descriptive and emotive meaning
- origin
- Ancient Greek, Indian, and Chinese thought
Lore & Background
Philosophical inquiry into meaning originated in antiquity in ancient Greek, Indian, and Chinese thought. The study of meaning is central to philosophy of language, but also informs semiotics, logic, philosophy of mind, hermeneutics, aesthetics, ethics, and philosophy of religion. Philosophers typically treat meaning as a relational concept that connects an entity to something else, such as the connection between the word dog and a four-legged mammal.
Reader's Guide
The study of meaning is fundamental to understanding language, communication, and reality. Philosophical debates address central contrasts such as sense versus reference, literal versus figurative meaning, and speaker meaning versus conventional meaning. The concept of meaning also extends to non-linguistic representations like gestures, pictures, and natural signs, as well as to the meaning of life. Different theories—reference-based, truth-conditional, mind-based, and use-based—offer competing accounts of what meaning is and how it functions.
Did You Know?
- Philosophical inquiry into meaning originated in antiquity in ancient Greek, Indian, and Chinese thought.
- A single entity can have several meanings, such as the word 'bank', which can signify a financial institution or the side of a river.
- Paralanguage comprises non-linguistic elements like articulation, rhythm, pitch, and loudness that shape the meaning of linguistic expressions.
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