The Problems of Meaning.

INTRODUCTION. Difficulties about the meanings of words are often central to many philosophical problems and disagreements. We can reduce these difficulties by clarifying and specifying the meanings of the words we use. But some words can be hard to define - especially words of particular interest to philosophers, like "Truth", "Reality", "Consciousness" and "Justice". Indeed, it's often said that these words are indefinable in principle. We'll see why this view is mistaken and discuss how …

…customary meanings, and to specify special meanings for particular purposes. We've considered the main methods of defining words. And lastly we've considered some of the philosophical problems associated with definition. Because definition is so fundamental to any serious discussion, it's important not to be confused about it. Unfortunately however, it is often much misunderstood. There's no need for this, because definition is really a simple straightforward matter about which there need be no real difficulty.