Meaning, Understanding and Action

The criteria for a learner’s understanding the words of a language include acting appropriately. In the case of Anscombean modals (e.g., ‘You have to φ’), these actions include whatever is specified in the modal statement (e.g., φ-ing). Teaching language means instilling not just abilities, but incl...

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Main Author: Roger Teichmann
Format: Article
Language:Catalan
Published: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 2020-03-01
Series:Enrahonar: Quaderns de Filosofia
Subjects:
Online Access:https://revistes.uab.cat/enrahonar/article/view/1271
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author Roger Teichmann
author_facet Roger Teichmann
author_sort Roger Teichmann
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description The criteria for a learner’s understanding the words of a language include acting appropriately. In the case of Anscombean modals (e.g., ‘You have to φ’), these actions include whatever is specified in the modal statement (e.g., φ-ing). Teaching language means instilling not just abilities, but inclinations, to do certain things. With non-learners there is a default presumption of linguistic competence, and this explains how an adult can be said to understand ‘You have to φ’ while being generally disinclined to respond appropriately, i.e., by φ-ing. (Dishonesty.) It’s possible for it to become normal for the members of some societal group to fail to respond appropriately to modal statements; such a situation may be one of conceptual and practical confusion, with the sort of corresponding bad faith alleged by Anscombe in connection with the ‘moral ought’. Since understanding modal statements is manifested in forms of voluntary action, the internalist view that one only has reason to obey a rule if doing so is conducive to the satisfaction of one’s desires turns out to be incoherent.
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spelling doaj.art-0141fab1d1b846a0baf942e11faa5b062023-09-02T16:16:03ZcatUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaEnrahonar: Quaderns de Filosofia0211-402X2014-881X2020-03-016410.5565/rev/enrahonar.12711144Meaning, Understanding and ActionRoger Teichmann0University of OxfordThe criteria for a learner’s understanding the words of a language include acting appropriately. In the case of Anscombean modals (e.g., ‘You have to φ’), these actions include whatever is specified in the modal statement (e.g., φ-ing). Teaching language means instilling not just abilities, but inclinations, to do certain things. With non-learners there is a default presumption of linguistic competence, and this explains how an adult can be said to understand ‘You have to φ’ while being generally disinclined to respond appropriately, i.e., by φ-ing. (Dishonesty.) It’s possible for it to become normal for the members of some societal group to fail to respond appropriately to modal statements; such a situation may be one of conceptual and practical confusion, with the sort of corresponding bad faith alleged by Anscombe in connection with the ‘moral ought’. Since understanding modal statements is manifested in forms of voluntary action, the internalist view that one only has reason to obey a rule if doing so is conducive to the satisfaction of one’s desires turns out to be incoherent.https://revistes.uab.cat/enrahonar/article/view/1271AnscombeWittgensteinstopping modalslanguagerulesinternalism
spellingShingle Roger Teichmann
Meaning, Understanding and Action
Enrahonar: Quaderns de Filosofia
Anscombe
Wittgenstein
stopping modals
language
rules
internalism
title Meaning, Understanding and Action
title_full Meaning, Understanding and Action
title_fullStr Meaning, Understanding and Action
title_full_unstemmed Meaning, Understanding and Action
title_short Meaning, Understanding and Action
title_sort meaning understanding and action
topic Anscombe
Wittgenstein
stopping modals
language
rules
internalism
url https://revistes.uab.cat/enrahonar/article/view/1271
work_keys_str_mv AT rogerteichmann meaningunderstandingandaction