Semantics for Reasons

In the first account of how the language of reasons works, Semantics for Reasons draws on the scientific discipline of linguistics, brings together the theory of reasons and natural language semantics, and examines what we really mean when we talk about reasons for believing and doing certain things.



Semantics for Reasons is a book about what we mean when we talk about reasons. It not only brings together the theory of reasons and natural language semantics in original ways but also sketches out a litany of implications for metaethics and the philosophy of normativity. In their account of how the language of reasons works, Bryan R. Weaver and Kevin Scharp propose and defend a view called Question Under Discussion (QUD) Reasons Contextualism. They use this view to argue for a series of novel positions on the ontology of reasons, indexical facts, the reasons-to-be- rational debate, moral reasons, and the reasons-first approach.