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Using semantic deference to test an extension of indexical externalism beyond “natural-kind” terms

par De Brabanter, Philippe ;Leclercq, Bruno
Référence European Congress of Analytic Philosophy (10: August, 24-28, 2020: Utrecht, Netherlands)
Publication Non publié, 2020-08-24

Communication à un colloque

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Résumé :

There have been heated debates about what should be taken as a natural-kind term. Most often they take on a strong epistemological or metaphysical dimension. We think the issues can be clarified within the limits of the philosophy of language: by looking into what ranges of general terms are perceived by speakers as rigid designators. The first step to take is to ground the various kinds of semantic externalism in distinct brands of semantic deference: to the community usage, to the experts, to the ‘world as it is’. The second step is to measure lay speakers’ semantic deference for different kinds of words. This is what we do in an ongoing survey.