Meanings and Other Things Themes from the Work of Stephen Schiffer

Stephen Schiffer's writing has been central to analytic philosophy of language and mind since the 1970s. In 1972 his book Meaning launched an important research program into Gricean, or intention-based, approaches to linguistic meaning, which would come to dominate much subsequent theorizing about language. A sea change occurred in 1987 with the publication of Remnants of Meaning. Schiffer here repudiated the project initiated by Meaning, arguing that the theory of public-language meaning it described and the account of mental representation it required were based on false presuppositions. The ramifications here were far reaching and set the agenda for discussions in the philosophy of language and mind for a generation. In 2003, The Things We Mean initiated a more positive program, but one informed by the negative results of Remnants. Things also reflected the broadening of Schiffer's concerns, which now extended to metaphysics, metaethics, and the skeptical paradoxes.

In Meanings and Other Things fourteen leading philosophers explore central themes in Schiffer's writings. Topics range from theories of meaning to moral cognitivism, the nature of paradox, and the problem of vagueness. The volume also contains a comprehensive introduction that describes the evolution of Schiffer's thought, and closes with Schiffer's replies to his critics, extended essays that bring us up to date on Schiffer's current thinking on the themes that have defined not only his career, but philosophy of language as it is now practised.

Gary Ostertag, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York

Gary Ostertag received his PhD at the Graduate Center, CUNY, writing under Stephen Schiffer. From 2009-2014 he was director of The Saul Kripke Center, where he oversaw the publication of Philosophical Troubles and Reference and Existence. His publications include the edited volume, Definite Descriptions: A Reader (MIT, 1998), and articles, reviews and book chapters in the philosophy of language, the history of analytic philosophy, and musical ontology. Prior to teaching at CUNY and Nassau he was Senior Programmer at Information Builders, Inc., in New York.

Introduction
Part I
1. Easy Ontology and its Consequences, Amie Thomasson
2. From Remnants to Things, and Back Again, Thomas Hofweber
3. Objects of Thought, Ian Rumfitt
4. Schiffer s Unhappy-Face Solution, Michael Smith
Part II
5. Propositional Platitudes, Gary Ostertag
6. Schiffer s Puzzle: A Kind of Fregean Response, Ray Buchanan
7. Constraint with Restraint, Nathan Salmon
Part III
8. Schiffer on Indeterminacy, Vagueness, and Conditionals, Dorothy Edgington
9. Vagueness, Partial Belief, and Logic, Hartry Field
10. On the Characterization of Borderline Cases, Crispin Wright
11. The Nature of Paradox, Paul Horwich
Part IV
12. Silent Reference, Stephen Neale
13. Abiding Intentions, Anita Avramides
14. Schiffer on Russell s Theory and Referential Uses, Kent Bach
Part V: Replies to the Essays
15. Pleonastic Entities: Responses to Amie Thomasson, Thomas Hofweber, Ian Rumfitt, and Michael Smith, Stephen Schiffer
16. De Re Belief Reports: Response to Gary Ostertag, Stephen Schiffer
17. The Relativity Feature: Response to Ray Buchanan, Stephen Schiffer
18. De Re Subtleties: Response to Nathan Salmon, Stephen Schiffer
19. Vagueness and Indeterminacy: Responses to Dorothy Edgington, Hartry Field and Crispin Wright, Stephen Schiffer
20. A Source of Paradox: Response to Paul Horwich, Stephen Schiffer
21. Gricean Semantics and Reference: Responses to Anita Avramides, Stephen Neale, and Kent Bach, Stephen Schiffer