Meaning

Abstract

Our ability to see meaning in things, and to recognize the meaning those things have for others, is one of the most important aspects (indeed, perhaps the most important aspect) of human life. However, it is also one of the most mysterious. Where does meaning come from? Can we find a place for it in a naturalistic, scientific description of our world? What sorts of things can be the bearers of meaning? And how do we grasp the meanings others want to convey? This book explores these issues, focusing on the ways in which meaning arises in language, and showing how the decisions we make about meaning can have profound practical consequences.