CFP: Inferentialism

Inferentialism seeks to explain meaning not in terms of denotation but in terms of the inferential connections between sentences and the role of terms in those sentences in explaining those connections. Its most famous exponent is Robert Brandom, but it is also found in some of the works of Frege, Carnap and Wittgenstein, if not earlier. The workshop aims to gain greater insight into the viability of inferentialism not just for logical expressions (logical inferentialism) but more broadly for non-logical expressions; to explore the connections between inferentialism and proof-theoretic semantics on the one hand and conceptual role semantics on the other; and to understand the normative aspect that inferential connections bring to the notion of meaning.

Submissions are invited for 45-minute sessions (30 minutes' presentation and 15 minutes' discussion). To submit, please email an abstract of around 500 words to [email protected] by 20 September 2015. Please use the subject heading 'Inferentialism - Contributed Talk'.

Bursaries: we can offer up to four bursaries to those giving Contributed Talks, with preference given to graduate students, consisting of a waiver of the workshop fee and accommodation and meals for three nights during the workshop. Please indicate with your abstract submission if you wish to be considered for a bursary.