Causal theory of reference — A causal theory of reference is any of a family of views about how terms acquire specific referents. Such theories have been used to describe reference in regard to all sorts of reference bearing terms, particularly logically proper names and… … Wikipedia
Contrast theory of meaning — The Contrast theory of meaning states that any meaningful term must have a possible example and a possible counterexample. Ernest Gellner in Words and Things, p. 40: terms derive their meaning from the fact that there are or could be things… … Wikipedia
Meaning (linguistics) — In linguistics, meaning is what is expressed by the writer or speaker, and what is conveyed to the reader or listener, provided that they talk about the same thing (law of identity). In other words if the object and the name of the object and the … Wikipedia
Causal layered analysis — (CLA) is one of several futures techniques used as a means to inquire into the causes of social phenomena and to generate a set of forecasts as to the future course of the phenomena.As a theory, CLA seeks to integrate empiricist, interpretive,… … Wikipedia
meaning — meaning, meaningful action It would be difficult to imagine any sociological study which did not, implicitly or explicitly, look at how people think about the social world and social relationships in other words at the meanings that the social… … Dictionary of sociology
Causal sets — The causal sets programme is an approach to quantum gravity. Its founding principle is that spacetime is fundamentally discrete and that the spacetime points are related by a partial order. This partial order has the physical meaning of the… … Wikipedia
Meaning of life — This article is about the philosophical concept. For other uses, see Meaning of life (disambiguation). Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? One of Post Impressionist Paul Gauguin s most famous paintings. The meaning of life… … Wikipedia
Theory of cognitive development — The Theory of Cognitive Development (one of the most historically influential theories) was developed by Jean Piaget, a Swiss Philosopher (1896–1980). His genetic epistemological theory provided many central concepts in the field of developmental … Wikipedia
Descriptivist theory of names — is a view of the nature of the meaning and reference of proper names generally attributed to Gottlob Frege and Bertrand Russell. The theory consists essentially in the idea that the meanings (semantic contents) of names are identical to the… … Wikipedia
Direct reference theory — A direct reference theory is a theory of meaning that claims that the meaning of an expression lies in what it points out in the world. It stands in contrast to mediated reference theories. Contents 1 John Stuart Mill 2 Ruth Barcan Marcus 3 Saul… … Wikipedia
