Quotation
Last reviewed:
“Never to ask for the meaning of a word in isolation, but only in the context of a proposition.”
Gottlob Frege · Analytic philosophy / Logicism · Modern · 1884
What does it mean?
Words get their meaning from the sentences they work in.
Did Gottlob Frege really say this?
The library’s label is Paraphrase or translation. Austin's English of the second of three guiding principles.
Where it comes from
The Foundations of Arithmetic, Introduction, tr. J. L. Austin
Approximate date: 1884.
How to use it
'Bank' means nothing fixed until you see the sentence: river or money.
A mindset reading
Quote words in context or you change what they say.
Understand the philosophy
He uses it to argue numbers are objects named in statements of number.
- meaning
- knowledge
FAQ
What does it mean?
Words get their meaning from the sentences they work in.
Did Gottlob Frege really say this?
Paraphrase or translation. Austin's English of the second of three guiding principles.
Which work is it in?
The Foundations of Arithmetic, Introduction, tr. J. L. Austin Approximate date: 1884.