LANGUAGE AND CONTEXTUALISM: A BALANCE RATIONALE FOR KNOWLEDGE –CLAIM

ABSTRACT

This paper aims at comparing the two concepts – Language and contextualism by investigating the interrelationship between them. It starts by analyzing Timo Airaksinen and David Annis version of contextualism and the nature of language as it affects human cognition. Thus, the central argument of this paper is that this contextualism which upholds that what we know is relative to a context is also found within the content of language. Language is contextual just as epistemic justification is context dependent as acclaimed by the contextualists. As knowledge according to them is ultimately dependent on some human and social factors rather than being objective as it is the case of the traditional western thought, so also, language is for human and for social purpose instead of being objective which is so common with the traditional theories of meaning. This paper further proclaims that language and justification have things in common as one cannot do without the other in knowledge –claim. Hence, epistemic –justification is absolutely limited with language.

Keywords:Language, Contextualism, Justification, Knowledge, Meaning.