Convention: A Philosophical Study

Author:   David Lewis (Princeton University)
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons Ltd
ISBN:  

9780631232568


Pages:   226
Publication Date:   05 April 2002
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Available To Order   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Our Price $217.95 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

Convention: A Philosophical Study


Add your own review!

Overview

Convention was immediately recognized as a major contribution to the subject and its significance has remained undiminished since its first publication in 1969. Lewis analyzes social conventions as regularities in the resolution of recurring coordination problems-situations characterized by interdependent decision processes in which common interests are at stake. Conventions are contrasted with other kinds of regularity, and conventions governing systems of communication are given special attention.

Full Product Details

Author:   David Lewis (Princeton University)
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Imprint:   Wiley-Blackwell
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 2.20cm , Length: 23.20cm
Weight:   0.435kg
ISBN:  

9780631232568


ISBN 10:   0631232567
Pages:   226
Publication Date:   05 April 2002
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements. Foreword by W.V. Quine. Introduction. I. Coordination and Convention. Sample Coordination Problems. Analysis of Coordination Problems. Solving Coordination Problems. Convention. Sample Conventions. II. Convention Refined. Common Knowledge. Knowledge of Conventions. Alternatives to Convention. Degrees of Convention. Consequences of Conventions. III. Convention Contrasted. Agreement. Social Contracts. Norms. Rules. Conformative Behavior. Imitation. Meaning of Signals. IV. Convention and Communication. Sample Signals. Analysis of Signaling. Verbal Signaling. Conventional Meaning of Signals. V. Conventions of Language. Possible Languages. Grammars. Semantics in a Possible Language. Conventions of Truthfulness. Semantics in a Population. Conclusion. Index.

Reviews

"""This book is my attempt at an analysis of our common, established concept of convention, so that you will recognize that it explains what you must have in mind when you say that language is governed by conventions. Language is only one among many activities governed by conventions that we did not create by agreeing and that we cannot describe."" David Lewis ""Readers will be indebted to the author of this book."" Philosophical Quarterly ""The notion of convention has served philosophers since Aristotle as a convenient exploration of the arbitrary character of referential word meaning. In 1936 Willard Quine, pursuing the notion of analyticity, called attention to the emptiness of this explanation. David Lewis has attempted to re-establish the notion of convention as a partial explanation of analytic truth [and his] explication of ""convention"" is a tour de force of Humean analysis."" Philosophy and Rhetoric ""This book has been published for quite some time. Its significant contribution is no longer in question [and it will] remain a central reference for discussions on the nature of conventions. An excellent book for teaching purposes."" Australasian Journal of Philosophy"


"This book is my attempt at an analysis of our common, established concept of convention, so that you will recognize that it explains what you must have in mind when you say that language is governed by conventions. Language is only one among many activities governed by conventions that we did not create by agreeing and that we cannot describe." David Lewis "Readers will be indebted to the author of this book." Philosophical Quarterly "The notion of convention has served philosophers since Aristotle as a convenient exploration of the arbitrary character of referential word meaning. In 1936 Willard Quine, pursuing the notion of analyticity, called attention to the emptiness of this explanation. David Lewis has attempted to re-establish the notion of convention as a partial explanation of analytic truth [and his] explication of "convention" is a tour de force of Humean analysis." Philosophy and Rhetoric "This book has been published for quite some time. Its significant contribution is no longer in question [and it will] remain a central reference for discussions on the nature of conventions. An excellent book for teaching purposes." Australasian Journal of Philosophy


This book is my attempt at an analysis of our common, established concept of convention, so that you will recognize that it explains what you must have in mind when you say that language is governed by conventions. Language is only one among many activities governed by conventions that we did not create by agreeing and that we cannot describe. David Lewis Readers will be indebted to the author of this book. Philosophical Quarterly The notion of convention has served philosophers since Aristotle as a convenient exploration of the arbitrary character of referential word meaning. In 1936 Willard Quine, pursuing the notion of analyticity, called attention to the emptiness of this explanation. David Lewis has attempted to re-establish the notion of convention as a partial explanation of analytic truth [and his] explication of convention is a tour de force of Humean analysis. Philosophy and Rhetoric This book has been published for quite some time. Its significant contribution is no longer in question [and it will] remain a central reference for discussions on the nature of conventions. An excellent book for teaching purposes. Australasian Journal of Philosophy


Author Information

David Lewis (1941–2001) was Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University. His publications include Counterfactuals (reissued by Blackwell 2000), On the Plurality of Worlds (reissued by Blackwell, 2000), Parts of Classes (1991), and numerous articles in metaphysics and other areas. Many of his writings are available in his Collected Papers.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

MRG2025CC

 

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List