Name & Object: The Semantic Role of Plato's Forms.

摘要

My dissertation develops a theory of language and semantics for Plato, based on the dialogues and passages he wrote that discuss the nature of names, naming, nominates, and language generally. I argue that Plato was a linguistic conventionalist who believed that (i) the semantic properties of the sounds and markings that make up our languages are determined by the actual practices of language-users, that (ii) languages are successful inasmuch as they allow speakers to represent the structure of the world. I also explain how Plato's view of reality and his doctrine of Forms influenced his view of language, specifically suggesting that (iii) the recollection of the Forms is what enables everyone with linguistic competence to understand and formulate sentences in the languages with which they are fluent.