Author Description
Semantics for Reasons is a book about what we mean when we talk about reasons. It not only brings together the theory of reasons and natural language semantics in original ways but also sketches out a litany of implications for metaethics and the philosophy of normativity. In their account of how the language of reasons works, Bryan R. Weaver and Kevin Scharp propose and defend a view called Question Under Discussion (QUD) Reasons Contextualism. They use this view to argue for a series of novel positions on the ontology of reasons, indexical facts, the reasons-to-be- rational debate, moral reasons, and the reasons-first approach.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the linguistic and philosophical foundations of how humans communicate and conceptualize reasons. Bryan R. Weaver and Kevin Scharp utilize their expertise in philosophy and linguistics to bridge the gap between the theory of reasons and natural language semantics. They introduce and defend a framework known as Question Under Discussion (QUD) Reasons Contextualism to analyze the structure of normative language. By applying this model, the authors address significant debates regarding the ontology of reasons, moral normativity, and the reasons-first approach.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A formal proposal of QUD Reasons Contextualism as a linguistic framework.
- Analysis of the relationship between natural language semantics and normative theory.
- Examination of indexical facts and their role in practical reasoning.
- Arguments concerning the reasons-to-be-rational debate and moral reasons.
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide a comprehensive history of metaethical thought.
- The analysis is restricted to the specific linguistic framework of QUD rather than exploring alternative non-contextualist theories in depth.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts identify this work as a specialized contribution to the intersection of formal semantics and normative philosophy. Readers frequently note the technical density of the prose, which requires a strong background in analytic philosophy to fully grasp the proposed framework.
Page Count:
174
Publication Date:
2019-01-01
Publisher:
OUP Oxford
ISBN-10:
019256885X
ISBN-13:
9780192568854
Philosophy
Linguistics
Semantics
Normativity
Metaethics
Logic
Reason