The 2024 Meeting of the Canadian Philosophical Association

Symposium: Meaning, Use, and Philosophical Theories: Themes from Wittgenstein

Wednesday, June 19, 2 pm - 5 pm, LB-207 & online

While Wittgenstein’s approach to the nature of meaning is vigorously debated, it is undeniable that he thinks there is a connection between what expressions mean and how they are used. As he famously wrote, “for a large class of cases of the employment of the word “meaning” … this word can be explained in this way: the meaning of a word is its use in the language” (Philosophical Investigations, §43). What is the conception of use in the language that is distinctive of the Wittgensteinian approach, and what role does this conception play with respect to Wittgenstein’s broader project? This symposium addresses these questions. It examines the conception of meaning as connected to use both as a reading of Wittgenstein’s remarks on meaning in his early and later work, and as an attempt to tackle broader questions about language and mind.

Speakers:

Michael Kremer, University of Chicago

"Meaning and Use in the Tractatus and the Investigations"

Claudine Verheggen, York University

"Was Wittgenstein a Reductionist or a Quietist about Meaning?"

Olivia Sultanescu, Concordia University

"Wittgenstein and Foundational Questions"