Flashcards on The Linguistic Turn in Western Philosophy
The Linguistic Turn in Western Philosophy: A Student Guide
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Philosophy of Language
30 cards
Card 1
Question: What do Continental philosophers like Saussure, Derrida, and Foucault emphasize regarding meaning?
Answer: That meaning is shaped by linguistic structures and discourses, not by inherent truths.
Card 2
Question: According to Ferdinand de Saussure, how does language function?
Answer: Language functions as a closed and autonomous system, where meaning arises from an internal network of differences within the language.
Card 3
Question: What does Saussure claim about the relationship between thought and language?
Answer: That an individual doesn't merely use language to express pre-existing thoughts; rather, thought is shaped and constituted by language.
Card 4
Question: How do post-structuralists like Derrida and Paul de Man radicalize Saussure's ideas?
Answer: They argue that language doesn't refer to reality but constructs it; texts are independent of the author's intention, and meaning is not fixed.
Card 5
Question: What does Derrida's statement "there is nothing outside of the text" mean in the context of meaning?
Answer: It means that there is no meaning outside the text; the text itself creates meaning, and reference to an external reality is not primary.
Card 6
Question: What does Derrida mean by the concept of 'différance'?
Answer: The process by which meaning is continually deferred and never definitively fixed.
Card 7
Question: How does Michel Foucault connect knowledge and power in the realm of discourses?
Answer: He argues that historical discourses determine what is considered true or legitimate knowledge; knowledge is a form of power.
Card 8
Question: What is the implication of Foucault's concept of discourses for social order?
Answer: Linguistic discourses define the invisible boundaries of social order through what is considered true and acceptable.
Card 9
Question: How does the concept of meaning in Continental philosophy differ from the assumption of inherent truths?
Answer: The Continental approach views meaning as a product of linguistic structures and discourses, rather than a reflection of some pre-given, inherent trut
Card 10
Question: What is 'philosophy of language' in the context of analytic philosophy (and which areas does it concern)?
Answer: In analytic philosophy, the philosophy of language deals with language, meaning, logic, and related areas such as logic, theories of reference, and se