Meaning and rule following

摘要: According to a venerable tradition in philosophy and linguistics, expressions have meaning through being subject conventions or rules. This claim has become central topic of contemporary language mind the wake Wittgenstein Kripke, largely because normativity is regarded as serious challenge naturalism. One reaction this deny that genuine. While there are ‘semantic principles’ specifying conditions for correct application expressions, these either not genuinely normative they fact constitutive meaning. But dilemma can be defused if one distinguishes different dimensions semantic pays attention types mistakes afflict linguistic behavior. In particular, needs keep apart norms truth meaning, regulative, rules, appreciate notion correctness. The final section discusses role communally shared rules language, particular age-old problem circularity: how could such essential given latter appears prerequisite establishing communicating first place.