Abstract

This chapter takes into consideration the nature of meaning keeping in view that both language and mind embody meaning. The concept b of meaning is central to philosophy of language and mind because meaning is the way language and mind function. The problem arises when we try to decipher the way meaning arises. The holists and atomists differ as to how meaning arises in language and mind.Quine and Davidson have been the champions of meaning holism because both hold that meaning cannot be atomic because language functions as a system. With reference to language, Quine is of the view that language as a theory is not verifiable in experience piecemeal because sentences do not get verified in isolation. Therefore language as a whole has to get its meaning by an encounter with the world.Davidson explains the language-world encounter through the concept of interpretation of our utterances regarding the world. For him, interpretation is a basic mechanism by which we understand language as such. Therefore we have to keep in mind the truth conditions of the sentences we make regarding the world. Meaning accrues to language holistically within a broad truth schema that can ensure meaning for the entire language by appealing to the truth conditions.Meaning holism is defended in this chapter because of its efficacy in explaining meaning without going back to the atomistic verificationism and reductionism of the logical positivists. However, it is further argued the naturalist semantics is not enough to explain meaning and normativity of language.