Rule-Following, Meaning, and Thinking about Thought

• Author / Creator

  Fowke, Julian

• What is it that determines what our thoughts mean, and how do we know what they mean? Obviously a thought must mean something in order for us to know what it means, and frequently we do know the content of our thoughts. But the converse does not hold, for we can have thoughts to whose contents we are entirely obtuse. For example, people frequently do things for reasons contrary to those they might sincerely profess. But if meaning and thought are not epistemically given, how did we develop awareness of them at all? How do we think about thought—both our own and that of others? This essay is an exploration of these issues to the end of understanding how it is that we come to be able to represent our purposes, intentions, and meanings.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Meaning
  • Thought

• Graduation date

  Fall 2009

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3D89R

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.