JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
A Comprehensive, Academic Journal of the Philosophy, History, Sociology and Cultural Studies of Science and Technology
Author Information
CAO Jianbo
Information
<p>Department of Philosophy, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian</p>
Research Articles
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The Context Sensitivity of Referential Attribution Abstract: In the traditional philosophy of language, the establishment of reference theory is mostly based on the assumption that one class of terms only corresponds to a “correct” reference theory. Philosophers have engaged in decades-long debates regarding the appropriateness of the description theory and the causal-historical theory. However, recent semantics experiments on natural kind terms, led by Nichols and others, show both theories hold partially. Natural kind terms may exhibit a causal-historical interpretation on certain occasions and a descriptivist interpretation on others, as their meanings shift based on the conversational context. These findings underscore the contextual sensitivity of referential attribution, highlighting a new dimension in reference exploration. The result of referential attribution should be collectively shaped by contextual factors associated with the attributor, referent, and the nature of terms etc. Adopting a macro-contextualist perspective, the establishment of contextualism in referential attribution offers a reasonable approach to understand and elucidate the intricacies of the reference attribution process and the varied outcomes it produces. Key Words: Experimental philosophy of language; Referential theory; Referential attribution; Contextual sensitivityIssue:Volume 47, lssue 6, June 2025Page: 24-30
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The Locality of Anglo-American Epistemology Abstract: Anglo-American epistemology is the mainstream of epistemology in today’s world, and has been spread all over the world. However, this epistemology expressed in English is not a universal epistemology that can be unconditionally adapted to any other language. The concept of “local knowledge” and the most universal and objective knowledge of physics, mathematics and logic are all local, which provides a preliminary proof for the locality of Anglo-American epistemology. “The argument from that the translation of English knowledge verbs cannot be standardized” and “the argument from given dependence of knowledge attribution” can prove strong proof for the locality of Anglo-American epistemology. The locality of Anglo-American epistemology demands us that: it is theoretically feasible and necessary to study and construct the epistemology or even Chinese philosophy based on Chinese expressions, and that the introduction of other cultures needs to be in some given. Key Words: Anglo-American epistemology; Locality; Universality; GivenIssue:Volume 48, lssue 3, March 2026Page: 37-44
JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
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