Saint Augustine (Philosophy of Language 1)

Saint Augustine's philosophy is the perfect starting point for understanding the discussions about language. In a prominent quote he explicates a view of language, that even today seems to be the common way of looking at it.

This video lecture serves as an introduction to philosophy of language and the various theories that tried to solve the problems of the common-sense view of language.

Future parts will introduce Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Carnap and Quine. Please subscribe to stay tuned!

The quote, featured in Philosophical investigations:

"When grown-ups named some object and at the same time turned towards it, I perceived this, and I grasped that the thing was signified by the sound they uttered, since they meant to point it out. This, however I gathered from their gestures, the natural language of all peoples, the language that by means of facial expression and the play of eyes, of the movements of the limbs and the tone of voice, indicates the affections of the soul when it desires, or clings to, or rejects, or recoils from, something. In this way, little by little, I learned to understand what things the words, which I heard uttered in their respective places in various sentences, signified. And once I got my tongue around these signs, I used them to express my wishes."

Some literature that helped me in this video:
Roy Sorensen (2016). "A Cabinet of Philosophical Curiosities: A Collection of Puzzles, Oddities, Riddles, and Dilemmas"