[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-146173-105":59,"doc-detail-146173-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","a-bridge-from-semantic-value-to-content-philosophical-topics","A bridge from semantic value to content - Philosophical Topics","","Brian Rabern’s work investigates how compositional semantics relates to the objects expressed by assertions, focusing on the distinction between semantic value and assertoric content. The central argument addresses a perceived disanalogy in positions associated with Lewis and Dummett, which—Stanley claims—leads to a fatal flaw in securing a theoretically motivated link. Rabern reviews background issues from Dummett, Evans, and Lewis and then proposes a principled way to bridge the gap between semantic value and assertoric content.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/a-bridge-from-semantic-value-to-content-philosophical-topics/146173/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/a-bridge-from-semantic-value-to-content-philosophical-topics/146173.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Aria","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-02","2026-08-26",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":52},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What problem does the paper address regarding compositional semantics and assertion?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It examines whether compositional semantics can be connected to the objects of assertion, focusing on how semantic value relates to assertoric content within a context.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Why does the paper discuss a disanalogy between Lewis-style and Dummett-style views?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It explains that the proposed connection between semantic value and assertoric content may fail, leading to a fatal flaw in securing the needed theoretical link.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How does the paper propose to bridge the gap between semantic value and assertoric content?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"After reviewing background positions from Dummett, Evans, Lewis, and Stanley, it provides a principled method for connecting semantic value with a theoretically motivated notion of assertoric content.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},146173,1787737477,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":52,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":129,"read_time":144},2336464648322,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/2200025388227c56fec?_k=1778556882303663488","Edinburgh Research Explorer  \nA bridge from semantic value to content  \nCitation for published version:  \nRabern, B 2017, 'A bridge from semantic value to content', Philosophical Topics, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 181-207. [https://doi.org/10.5840/philtopics201745219](https://doi.org/10.5840/philtopics201745219)  \nDigital Object Identifier (DOI):  \n10.5840/philtopics201745219  \nLink:  \nLink to publication record in Edinburgh Research Explorer  \nDocument Version:  \nPeer reviewed version  \nPublished In:  \nPhilosophical Topics  \nGeneral rights  \nCopyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.  \nTake down policy  \nThe University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorer content complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright please [contact openaccess@ed.ac.uk](contact openaccess@ed.ac.uk) providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.  \nDownload date: 26. Aug. 2026  \nA bridge from semantic value to content􀀃  \nBrian Rabern  \n– For Philosophical Topics, J. Stanley (ed.) . 03/21/2017 j 14:28 A common view relating compositional semantics and the objects of assertion holds the following: Sentences 􀀞 and expresses the same proposition (in a context) i􀀋 􀀞 and have the same modal profile (in context) . Following Dummett (1973), Evans (1979), and Lewis (1980), Stanley (1997) argues that this view is fundamentally mistaken (and thus blocks Kripke's modal objection to descriptivism) . According to Dummett, we must distinguish the semantic contribution a sentence makes to more complex expressions in which it occurs from its assertoric content. Stojni (this volume) insists that views which distinguish the roles of content and semantic value must nevertheless ensure a tight connection between the two. But, she contends, there is a crucial disanalogy between the views that follow Lewis and the views that follow Dummett. Stanley's Dummettian view is argued to contain a fatal flaw: On such views, there is no way to secure an appropriate connection between semantic value and a theoretically motivated notion of assertoric content. I will review the background issues from Dummett, Evans, Lewis, and Stanley, and provide a principled way of bridging the gap between semantic value and a theoretically motivated notion of assertoric content.  \n1 Dummettian background  \nMichael Dummett's seminal 1959 paper “Truth” is a rich blend of Fregean themes with, among other issues, anti-realism, verificationism, and the theory of meaning. Within this mix is Dummett's discussion of the nature of assertion, and the upshot for bivalence. Without trying to unpack how all these themes relate, I will rehearse one of the lessons Dummett takes from the discussion of assertion. And then briefly comment on how this Dummettian lesson was endorsed, adapted, and eventually implemented in the early two-dimensionalist views associated with Evans, Davies, and Humberstone.  \nDummett insists that reflection on assertion reveals that there is a single aim of assertion. And thus, the general purpose of assertion establishes the binary assignments of truth and falsity. To motivate this Dummett considers an analogy with winning and losing a game. A theorist of games might describe all the initial positions, all the permissible moves, and all the resulting final positionsof a particular game. Further she might distinguish between two classes of final positions: W and L. But even given this complete description of the internal mechanics of the game crucial information is still lacking, namely what final positions a player is to aim at.  \n􀀃This material was originally presented to the Jowett Society, Oxford University, and","cbCaigdg84aGPIyz","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaigdg84aGPIyz","pdf",316207,25,"English","# Edinburgh Research Explorer\n## Citation and publication metadata\n## Rights and take down policy\n## From semantic value to content\n## Dummettian background","[{\"question\":\"What problem does the paper address regarding compositional semantics and assertion?\",\"answer\":\"It examines whether compositional semantics can be connected to the objects of assertion, focusing on how semantic value relates to assertoric content within a context.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the paper discuss a disanalogy between Lewis-style and Dummett-style views?\",\"answer\":\"It explains that the proposed connection between semantic value and assertoric content may fail, leading to a fatal flaw in securing the needed theoretical link.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the paper propose to bridge the gap between semantic value and assertoric content?\",\"answer\":\"After reviewing background positions from Dummett, Evans, Lewis, and Stanley, it provides a principled method for connecting semantic value with a theoretically motivated notion of assertoric content.\"}]","A bridge from semantic value to content - Philosophical Topics | PDF",63]