Meaning as use, with a qualification

Wittgenstein argued that meanings of words often cannot be specified in logically comprehensive terms. ‘For a large class of cases – though not for all – in which we employ the word “meaning” it can be defined thus: the meaning of a word is its use in the language.’23 (Ironically, this is often quoted without the initial qualification, making the definition appear to apply to all meaning. Wittgenstein’s defence of vagueness is thus more precise than is often believed.) In other words, to understand a word, sometimes you can do no better than learn by experience how it is used in different contexts. Everyone is familiar, I think, with the realisation that our competence to use a…

Saved 23 April 2015

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