MENTAL MODEL · M13302

Rule-Following and Intentionality

CultureHigh supportLinguistics

Included

Updated 2026-09-10

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

Wittgenstein's reflections on rule-following in sections 138 to 242 of the Philosophical Investigations and part six of the Remarks on the Foundations of Mathematics pose sharp questions about the nature of language and mind, and most subsequent discussion revolves around Kripke's interpretation of them, which ends in a skeptical solution that relocates meaning in communal practice.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Rule checking: ask by virtue of what a given step counts as the correct use of the rule. - Regression spotting: recognize the infinite regress that arises when a rule itself needs interpretation. - Standard shift: relocate the standard of meaning from inner states to communal practice.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

The core of the puzzle is that my past usage and any inner state seem insufficient to determine what it is to go on correctly, for any rule can be interpreted so as to be compatible with the next step. If meaning is determined by rules and rules need interpretation, the chain of interpretations regresses infinitely. Skepticism then asks what makes a usage correct at all.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/1

Practice this model in one real situation:

Facing the question of how you know you are applying the word correctly, first admit that any rule admits multiple interpretations. 2. Ask whether a standard of correctness independent of interpretation exists. 3. Weigh the cost of the skeptical solution: whether it can still preserve the normativity of meaning and the reality of content.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

Learning progress0%

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Source support: Explicit

link
plato.stanford.eduhttps://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rule-following/ZH · Explicit
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