Language: Key Concepts in Philosophy

Book excerpt: Inquiry into the nature and purpose of language has long been a central concern of Western philosophy, within both the analytic, Anglo-American tradition, and its Continental counterpart. Language: Key Concepts in Philosophy explains and explores the principal ideas, theories and debates in the philosophy of language, providing a clear and authoritative account of the discipline. The text covers the work on language of the major philosophers in both traditions, including Frege, Wittgenstein, Austin, Quine, Davidson, Heidegger, Gadamer, Derrida and Butler. The book equips readers with the requisite philosophical tools to get to grips with central concepts and key issues, and raises challenging questions students can then explore on their own. Coverage of each issue provides the reader with a full account of the state of the question and a thorough assessment of the arguments entailed in the available literature on that subject. Philosophy undergraduates will find this an invaluable aid to study, one that goes beyond simple definitions and summaries to really open up fascinating and important ideas and arguments.