Semantic Relationism

Introducing a new and ambitious position in the field, Kit Fine's "Semantic Relationism" is a major contribution to the philosophy of language. It is written by one of today's most respected philosophers. This book: argues for a fundamentally new approach to the study of representation in language and thought; proposes that there may be representational relationships between expressions or elements of thought that are not grounded in the intrinsic representational features of the expressions or elements themselves; and, forms part of the prestigious new "Blackwell/Brown Lectures in Philosophy" series, based on an ongoing series of lectures by today's leading philosophers.

"With characteristic brilliance and rigor, Kit Fine advances a radically new conception of semantic structure that casts light from an unexpected direction on the nature of compositionality and the theory of direct reference." Tim Williamson, Oxford University "How can two sentences represent the world as being precisely the same way, yet differ in meaning, and express propositions that are rationally believed in different circumstances? Echoing themes initially broached by such philosophers as Hilary Putnam and David Kaplan, Kit Fine answers with a novel conception of semantics uniting the two-sided connection of meaning with mind and world, and culminating in an ingenious, representationalist theory designed to incorporate contemporary Millianism while accommodating traditional Fregean intuitions. A delight to read, the book will be mined for its ideas and arguments for years to come." Scott Soames, University of Southern California

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