Meaning as Use
A word's meaning lies in its role within linguistic practice.
What it claims
Meaning as use locates meaning in what an expression does within a community's practices, rather than reducing it to a referent or private mental image. It also departs from the early Wittgenstein's picture of language as essentially a logical representation of the world. Rule-following considerations supply the central argument.
Nearby positions
Goes together with
Key thinkers
Ludwig Wittgenstein · J. L. Austin · Gilbert Ryle · Robert Brandom · Saul Kripke