Externalism and Rationality

Abstract

Semantic externalism is an important and influential philosophical view on the nature of meaning, but it poses a challenge to equally influential views on the nature of rationality. This project aims to investigate the implications of semantic externalism for our understanding of rationality and to develop a revisionary theory of rationality capable of accommodating these implications.

The project will encompass three years, during which different aspects of the problem will be investigated. The first year will be devoted to a critical investigation of the existing literature on the problem posed by semantic externalism. In the second year, I will analyze the concept of rationality more generally to determine the requirements that a revisionary theory must meet. In the third year, I will begin developing a new, revisionary theory of rationality.

Given the importance of semantic externalism to the development of modern philosophy of language and mind, it behooves us to accurately understand its implications for other key philosophical areas. The notion of rationality is a core philosophical notion which informs philosophy’s very self-image. To systematically investigate the implications of semantic externalism for our understanding of rationality is thus an urgent matter, with potential ramifications for every field of philosophy.