Stephen Anderson asks what we mean when we ask if existence has a meaning.
http://philosophynow.org/issues/88/The_ ... of_Meaning
The Meaning of ‘Meaning’
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Re: The Meaning of ‘Meaning’
Meaning of meaning
The cause of meaning?
Is there a reason?
Should there be a reason?
If there should, then are we talking of divinity?
The cause of meaning?
Is there a reason?
Should there be a reason?
If there should, then are we talking of divinity?
Re: The Meaning of ‘Meaning’
What is the meaning of meaning has always been an interesting question for me. Another like it is, "Which way is which?" If you think about them both those questions answer themselves.
The answer to "What is the meaning of meaning?" is......
Another way of saying the same thing.
The answer to "What is the meaning of meaning?" is......
Another way of saying the same thing.
Re: The Meaning of ‘Meaning’
I would first try something simple and obvious and then go on to the difficult cases.
What is the meaning of ... the word "forum" ?
When we use the word "forum" we usually mean a conversation group like this around a round table with King Alfred and his companions.
When we use the word "meaning" we usually mean ... an abstract something which it is difficult to be specific about.
What is the meaning of ... the word "forum" ?
When we use the word "forum" we usually mean a conversation group like this around a round table with King Alfred and his companions.
When we use the word "meaning" we usually mean ... an abstract something which it is difficult to be specific about.
Re: The Meaning of ‘Meaning’
What you have just done is said another way of saying the same thing. "Forum" and "a conversation group..." are the same thing. You've created a meaning.duszek wrote: What is the meaning of ... the word "forum" ?
When we use the word "forum" we usually mean a conversation group like this around a round table with King Alfred and his companions.
Meaning is not abstract. Subjects, objects, units and relations are abstract. Meaning has a specific purpose. It is used to define something. It is used to say the same thing in a different manner.duszek wrote: When we use the word "meaning" we usually mean ... an abstract something which it is difficult to be specific about.
Re: The Meaning of ‘Meaning’
Yes, J Huber is correct when he says that meaning "is used to define something. It is used to say the same thing in a different manner." It is also used to describe. And it connotes as well as denotes.
Alfred North Whitehead in his PROCESS AND REALITY speaks of "prehension" as a way that one individual grasps the meaning of another. He regarded it as a process, and wanted to differentiate it from 'apprehension.'
Currently, in the world of rhetoric and marketing, the notion of "resonance" is popular. When attempting to communicate, does what you say resonate with the audience?
Gordon Allport held that "meanings are caught not taught."
Robert S. Hartman wrote that, for purposes of theory, specifically value theory, a meaning is rendered (on paper) by a set of property-names. He called them 'attributes.' He held that every concept had such a set. A "definition" is a finite such set. An "exposition" is a wider meaning consisting of more attributes than the mere definition. For details, as to how the meaning of a concept is related to the name of it, and to the actual properties it purports to describe, see the paper by M. C. Katz - Ethics: A College Course, p.7 - http://tinyurl.com/24cs9y7 It is a pdf file, safe to open.
To Hartman, meaning is the measure of value. The more meaningful something is, the more valuable. Thus if one is going to measure the degree of something considered valuable ( or of a rating, or a prizing, or an assessment, a grade) ...then meaning (logically-understood as that set of features, or qualities) can serve as the tool for measurement - since sets can have various cardinalities; and ordinalities. These sets, these meanings, can - given the right calculus - be computed and counted.
Alfred North Whitehead in his PROCESS AND REALITY speaks of "prehension" as a way that one individual grasps the meaning of another. He regarded it as a process, and wanted to differentiate it from 'apprehension.'
Currently, in the world of rhetoric and marketing, the notion of "resonance" is popular. When attempting to communicate, does what you say resonate with the audience?
Gordon Allport held that "meanings are caught not taught."
Robert S. Hartman wrote that, for purposes of theory, specifically value theory, a meaning is rendered (on paper) by a set of property-names. He called them 'attributes.' He held that every concept had such a set. A "definition" is a finite such set. An "exposition" is a wider meaning consisting of more attributes than the mere definition. For details, as to how the meaning of a concept is related to the name of it, and to the actual properties it purports to describe, see the paper by M. C. Katz - Ethics: A College Course, p.7 - http://tinyurl.com/24cs9y7 It is a pdf file, safe to open.
To Hartman, meaning is the measure of value. The more meaningful something is, the more valuable. Thus if one is going to measure the degree of something considered valuable ( or of a rating, or a prizing, or an assessment, a grade) ...then meaning (logically-understood as that set of features, or qualities) can serve as the tool for measurement - since sets can have various cardinalities; and ordinalities. These sets, these meanings, can - given the right calculus - be computed and counted.

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