The Meaning of Meaning

That we must address the issue of what it means for something to mean something else shows in itself that the answer is not obvious. Indeed, philosophers of language spend the better part of their time on this very question. At the same time, the simplest man can use language and he knows just exactly what he means by the things that he says. In order to make some sense of this apparent paradox, it will be necessary to tread gingerly into the cool waters of the philosophy of language, whilst being careful not to get out of our depth.