Why Philosophers Shouldn’t Do Semantics

Abstract

The linguistic turn provided philosophers with a range of reasons for engaging in careful investigation into the nature and structure of language. However, the linguistic turn is dead. The arguments for it have been abandoned (for good reasons). This raises the question: why should philosophers take an interest in the minutiae of natural language semantics? I’ll argue that there isn’t much of a reason - philosophy of language has lost its way. Then I provide a suggestion for how it can find its way again. This is a pre-print of an article published in Review of Philosophy and Psychology. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13164-017-0340-