linguistic philosophy

American  

noun

1. an approach to philosophical problems used especially by certain British and American philosophers, inspired by G. E. Moore, and marked by the elucidation of difficult and controversial concepts by resolving them into their elements.

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linguistic philosophy British  

noun

1. the approach to philosophy common in the mid 20th century that tends to see philosophical problems as arising from inappropriate theoretical use of language and therefore as being resolved by detailed attention to the common use of expressions

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Etymology

Origin of linguistic philosophy

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

The book seems perversely dedicated to confusion, like Oxford's linguistic philosophy which, from a puritan devotion to clarity, actually makes it very difficult to say anything about anything.

From Time Magazine Archive

I would not have it understood that I am presenting a complete analysis of Humboldt’s linguistic philosophy.

From The Philosophic Grammar of American Languages, as Set Forth by Wilhelm von Humboldt With the Translation of an Unpublished Memoir by Him on the American Verb by Brinton, Daniel Garrison

A sharp, but friendly criticism of this central point of his linguistic philosophy may be found in Steinthal, Charakteristik der Hauptsächlichsten Typen des Sprachbones, ss. 58-61.

From The Philosophic Grammar of American Languages, as Set Forth by Wilhelm von Humboldt With the Translation of an Unpublished Memoir by Him on the American Verb by Brinton, Daniel Garrison

He sounded the depths of linguistic philosophy far more deeply than to accept mere abundance of words as proof of richness in a language.

From The Philosophic Grammar of American Languages, as Set Forth by Wilhelm von Humboldt With the Translation of an Unpublished Memoir by Him on the American Verb by Brinton, Daniel Garrison