It is very important to have clear concepts of meaning, understanding and interpreting something especially in Philosophy as these concepts are very often misunderstood and misused in our thinking. A thing or object referred to by a name is taken for its meaning as we have learnt as children to point to something and utter its name, called ostensive definition, which is alright for practical purposes. However, to identify a name with its meaning leads to the unsavory consequence of the name 'Paul' losing meaning on the death of Paul. Besides, one and the same name may be used for many objects as well as many objects may be named by the same name like 'Bank'. This shows that the meaning of a word is not like a label to be attached to a person or thing, but its meaning is its use in language in specific contexts. Moreover, the meaning of a word is not something other than the word itself, but its employment, application or use in appropriate contexts. This understanding of meaning of a word is applicable to a large class of cases, though not for all, as its use in the language.
Our tendency to think of the meaning as the same kind of a thing as the word, though different from the word, should be curbed. "Here the word, there the meaning. The money and the cow that you can buy with it. (But contrast: money, and its use.)" (P.I., para. 120). The words in language stand as sign-posts that need interpretation for understanding the meaning and as the interpretations vary, the meaning also will be different. Different possibilities in interpretation and disagreements arise because of lack of agreement in not only definitions but also judgments. Even ostensive definitions can be misinterpreted in every case and an ostensive definition is workable only when one knows a lot more about the language. However, for particular purposes we define words that might need other definitions for clarification and yet the process cannot go on indefinitely before we start understanding and acting upon it. If I am particular to travel in the last compartment of a train, I don't wait indefinitely as there is a possibility of adding another compartment as the last one!
How one understands a definition is seen from the use he or she makes of the word defined. This is not to censure the person, but to understand whether he or she has taken the word to mean the same way as I have used it. One is free to use it as one likes provided the person's use is governed by the rules of language that come within the province of the grammar of the language. (See further Posts for more about rules and grammar of language). Grammar only describes and does not explain the use of signs. Signs themselves are able to be interpreted correctly because the persons concerned are within a community, culture, custom, convention where the signs are used. They agree not only in definitions, but also in judgments. We cannot direct someone to a destination using English language if the person doesn't know a word of English!
Our tendency to think of the meaning as the same kind of a thing as the word, though different from the word, should be curbed. "Here the word, there the meaning. The money and the cow that you can buy with it. (But contrast: money, and its use.)" (P.I., para. 120). The words in language stand as sign-posts that need interpretation for understanding the meaning and as the interpretations vary, the meaning also will be different. Different possibilities in interpretation and disagreements arise because of lack of agreement in not only definitions but also judgments. Even ostensive definitions can be misinterpreted in every case and an ostensive definition is workable only when one knows a lot more about the language. However, for particular purposes we define words that might need other definitions for clarification and yet the process cannot go on indefinitely before we start understanding and acting upon it. If I am particular to travel in the last compartment of a train, I don't wait indefinitely as there is a possibility of adding another compartment as the last one!
How one understands a definition is seen from the use he or she makes of the word defined. This is not to censure the person, but to understand whether he or she has taken the word to mean the same way as I have used it. One is free to use it as one likes provided the person's use is governed by the rules of language that come within the province of the grammar of the language. (See further Posts for more about rules and grammar of language). Grammar only describes and does not explain the use of signs. Signs themselves are able to be interpreted correctly because the persons concerned are within a community, culture, custom, convention where the signs are used. They agree not only in definitions, but also in judgments. We cannot direct someone to a destination using English language if the person doesn't know a word of English!
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