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Zusatztext Ganeri has succeeded remarkably well in "translating" Navya-Nyaya thought into contemporary idiom and debate in areas where it presents a real contribution to modern concerns in linguistics and philosophy of language ... a penetrating and impressive analysis of a difficult area of classical Indian philosophy presented in a contemporary light. It should provide stimulating reading for philosophers! linguists and Indologists alike. Informationen zum Autor Jonardon Ganeri is Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Nottingham. He held positions previously at the Universities of London and Stirling. Klappentext Jonardon Ganeri gives an account of language as essentially a means for the reception of knowledge. The semantic power of a word and its ability to stand for a thing derives from the capacity of understanders to acquire knowledge simply by understanding what is said. Ganeri finds this account in the work of certain Indian philosophers of language, and shows how their analysis can inform and be informed by contemporary philosophical theory. Zusammenfassung Jonardon Ganeri defends a conception of language as essentially a means for the reception of knowledge through testimony. He argues that the possibility of testimony constrains the form of a theory of meaning. In particular, the semantic power of a word, its ability to stand for or take the place of a thing, derives from the epistemic powers of understanders, their capacity to acquire knowledge simply by understanding what is said. Ganeri finds this account in the work of certain Indian philosophers of language, those belonging to the late classical school of Navya-Ny(ya. He presents a detailed analysis of their theories, paying particular attention to the influential seventeenth-century philosopher Gad(dhara. Ganeri examines the Indian account of the meaning relation and its relata, the role of modes of thought as meaning constituents, and the application of the theory to theoretical names and anaphora. The aim of Semantic Powers is to give epistemology a central place in the study of language. It also shows how classical Indian theory of language can inform and be informed by contemporary philosophy. Inhaltsverzeichnis Introduction 1: The Nature of Language 2: Instruments of Knowledge 3: Meaning Relata 4: The Meaning Relation 5: Meaning and Modes of Thought 6: Stipulation 7: Indexicality Bibliography Index ...
