If meaning supervenes on social practice rather than individual intention, then a speaker's intention carries evidential weight only derivatively, collapsing P2's premise into a weaker, defeasible heuristic rather than a genuine semantic principle.
?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
No one has weighed in yet. Be the first to share reasons for or against this statement.
Sign in or register to share your perspective on this statement.
In a secondary or indirect way, rather than as a primary or direct source—like how a photocopy's authority comes indirectly from the original document.
heuristic(as used in epistemology and cognitive science)
A practical shortcut or rule of thumb that usually works but isn't guaranteed to be right every time, like guessing someone's mood from their facial expression.
individual intention(as used in philosophy of language and mind)
What a single person consciously means or wants to accomplish when they do something, like intending to ask for directions when you raise your hand.
semantic principle(as used in philosophy of language)
A fundamental rule about what words and sentences actually mean, rather than just a helpful guideline.
supervenes on(as used in metaphysics and philosophy of language)
Depends entirely on or is completely determined by something else—like how a painting's beauty supervenes on the colors and brushstrokes, meaning you can't change the beauty without changing those physical facts.