Semantics for Reasons is a book about what we mean when we talk about reasons. It not only brings together the theory of reasons and natural language semantics in original ways but also sketches out a litany of implications for metaethics and the philosophy of normativity. In their account of how the language of reasons works, Bryan R. Weaver and Kevin Scharp propose and defend a view called Question Under Discussion (QUD) Reasons Contextualism. They use this view to argue for a series of novel positions on the ontology of reasons, indexical facts, the reasons-to-be-rational debate, moral reasons, and the reasons-first approach.
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vii | |
| Introduction |
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1 | (7) |
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8 | (16) |
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1.1 Contributory, Conclusive, and Sufficient Reasons |
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9 | (3) |
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1.2 Adaptive, Evaluative, and Practical Reasons |
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12 | (2) |
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1.3 Normative, Motivating, and Explanatory Reasons |
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14 | (3) |
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1.4 Permissive and Obligatory Reasons |
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17 | (1) |
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1.5 Internal and External Reasons |
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18 | (1) |
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1.6 Agent-Neutral and Agent-Relative Reasons |
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19 | (5) |
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24 | (22) |
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24 | (4) |
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28 | (5) |
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33 | (8) |
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41 | (2) |
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43 | (3) |
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46 | (3) |
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3.1 Conceptual Analysis and Natural Language Semantics |
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46 | (3) |
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49 | (29) |
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51 | (1) |
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52 | (3) |
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55 | (2) |
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3.6 The Maze Example and Eight Semantic Kinds of Reasons |
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57 | (6) |
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63 | (4) |
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3.8 A Formal Semantics for Reasons |
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67 | (11) |
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78 | (22) |
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4.1 Finlay's Conceptual Analysis |
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78 | (4) |
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4.2 Blackburn and Expressivism |
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82 | (3) |
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4.3 Henning's Information Contextualism |
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85 | (7) |
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4.4 Kolodny's Semantic Relativism |
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92 | (8) |
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100 | (47) |
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5.1 The Ontology of Reasons |
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100 | (8) |
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108 | (2) |
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5.3 Reasons to be Rational |
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110 | (10) |
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120 | (12) |
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132 | (15) |
| Works Cited |
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147 | (12) |
| Index |
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159 | |
Bryan R. Weaver received his PhD in philosophy from the University of Reading in 2012 and is now a Senior Lecturer in Computer Science and Engineering and an affiliate of the Center for Ethics and Human Values at The Ohio State University. He has published on the philosophy of sex, and he works on the philosophies of normativity and perception, as well as metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics.
Kevin Scharp received his PhD in philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh in 2005 and is now a Reader in Philosophy at the University of St Andrews and the director of the Arché Philosophical Research Centre. He taught previously at The Ohio State University. He has published on philosophical logic, philosophy of language, metaphysics, and philosophy of science. He is the author of a book, Replacing Truth (Oxford 2013), and editor of a collection of Wilfrid Sellars' essays.
