The main question addressed in this book is whether individuation of the contents of thoughts and linguistic expressions is inherently holistic. The authors consider arguments that are alleged to show that the meaning of a scientific hypothesis depends on the entire theory that entails it, or that the content of a concept depends on the entire belief system of which it is part.

The implications of holism about meaning for other philosophical issues (intentional explanation, translation, Realism, skepticism, etc.) will also be explored.
Authors discussed include Quine, Davidson, Lewis, Bennett, Block, Field, Churchland, and others. The book is intended for all those interested in language, mind, metaphysics or epistemology.

Contents
Preface
1 Introduction: A Geography of the Issues
2 W. V. O. Quine: Meaning Holism and Confirmation Holism
3 Donald Davidson: Meaning Holism and Radical Interpretation
4 David Lewis: Meaning Holism and the Primacy of Belief
5 D. C. Dennett: Meaning Holism and the N'ormativity of Intentional Ascription (and a Little More about Davidson)
6 Ned Block: Meaning Holism and Conceptual Role Semantics
7 Paul Churchland: State Space Semantics (and a Brief Conclusion)
Notes
References
Glossary
Index of Names
Index of Subiects

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