Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T18:08:28.307Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 7 - Texts, Meanings, and Interpretation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 September 2021

René van Woudenberg
René van Woudenberg
Affiliation:
Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
Get access

Summary

The objects of reading (words, sentences, texts) are objects that have meaning. Meaning is a slippery notion, but we cannot do without it. This chapter distinguishes a number of different notions of meaning: word meaning, sentence meaning, author's meaning, indicative meaning, effect meaning, and value meaning. First, I suggest that knowledge of (these kinds of) meaning cannot be obtained through the natural sciences. Next, a general account of interpretation is offered according to which a statement is an interpretation of a text (or a part thereof) provided it is an attempt to specify the meaning(s) of the text (or its parts). It is furthermore argued that interpretative statements can be true and justified and, hence, that there are interpretative facts of the matter.

Keywords

MeaningAuthor’s MeaningInterpretationAuthorial Intentions
Type
Chapter
Information
The Epistemology of Reading and Interpretation , pp. 161 - 182
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×