New Horizons in the Study of Language and Mind Author: Noam Chomsky | Language: English | ISBN:
0521658225 | Format: EPUB
New Horizons in the Study of Language and Mind Description
This book is an outstanding contribution to the philosophical study of language and mind, by one of the most influential thinkers of our time. In a series of penetrating essays, Chomsky cuts through the confusion and prejudice that has infected the study of language and mind, bringing new solutions to traditional philosophical puzzles and fresh perspectives on issues of general interest, ranging from the mind-body problem to the unification of science. Using a range of imaginative and deceptively simple linguistic analyses, Chomsky defends the view that knowledge of language is internal to the human mind. He argues that a proper study of language must deal with this mental construct. According to Chomsky, therefore, human language is a "biological object" and should be analyzed using the methodology of the sciences. His examples and analyses come together in this book to give a unique and compelling perspective on language and the mind.
- Paperback: 230 pages
- Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1st edition (May 1, 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0521658225
- ISBN-13: 978-0521658225
- Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
- Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
There are a lot of fantastic ideas in the book, despite the fact that it has the appearance of being a purely negative work (arguments against philosophers rather than a constructive piece of its own). In order to get to the original and interesting points, one has to overlook many familiar flaws in Chomsky's philosophical writing: (1) Because he mostly publishes collections of papers, such as this volume, his philosophical work is overly repetitive. Often one wonders whether this book would be half as long if the repetitions were just editted out. (2) One gets the sense that Chomsky is quite uncharitable to his opponents in reconstructing their arguments. For instance, he emphasizes psychological behaviorism as the key component to Quinean naturalism, overlooking many of the similiarities between his own view of naturalism and Quine's view (minus behaviorism). Chomsky makes an important point that an analytic/synthetic distinction can be made quite sharp and clear empirically on linguistic grounds (it follows from the language instinct). Quine himself would not object that a clear analytic/synthetic distinction could be made on empirical grounds, he makes one himself in one of his essays. (3) Chomsky often does not build systematic arguments against some of the points that his opponents make. Often, he would simply integrate a brief quotation from his opponents into his writing, and say something like "Fair enough, but this doesn't answer question X" and then he moves on. Often, a careful reader would want to reconstruct what Chomsky means, and would probably want to work out the very argument that Chomsky himself omits.
In short, if one is able to read this book in a very different way from the manner in which Chomsky reads the works of his opponents, (i.e.
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