Publications
Publication details [#14105]
Stich, Stephen P. 1982. A philosophical inquiry into ambiguity, vagueness and metaphor in language. Linguistics and Philosophy 5 (2) : 295–297. 3 pp. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Publication type
Review/summary
Publication language
English
Keywords
Place, Publisher
Cham: Springer
Abstract
The article is a review of I. Scheffler's 'A philosophical inquiry into ambiguity, vagueness and metaphor in language'. The three key issues mentioned by the title had until then received little attention from philosophers. Avoiding reliance on traditional notions such as 'sense', 'idea', 'concept', 'proposition', 'fact', 'meaning', while also criticising constructs such as 'analyticity' and 'synonymy', Scheffler chooses as analytical primitive in his argumentation the 'extension of a predicate token'. Different types of ambiguity are identified and explained, and vagueness is treated as a pragmatic phenomenon. In his review, Stich briefly discusses each of these foundational aspects of Scheffler's account.