Temporal Externalism: Choice Points

Abstract

Abstract This chapter presents a map through various ways temporal externalism might be developed. Issues discussed include: does temporal externalism apply to language, to thought, or to both? How much does meaning vary over time and between different discourses? How radically can we revise our definitional views? What makes temporal externalism true? What role do other speakers play in determining what we mean? Is temporal externalism committed to a kind of analyticity, or is it compatible with holism? Can judgements play a meaning-fixing role even if they are arrived at in epistemically problematic ways? What should the temporal externalist say about essentially contested concepts, and other kinds of discussion that do not resolve?