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Ayer says that philosophy seeks, not "explicit definitions," but "definitions in use." A "definition in use" is
{ 1 } - a definition that explains what sentences using the term mean but doesn't give a phase that directly replaces the term.
{ 2 } - a definition that represents how people actually use a term.
{ 3 } - a stipulation about how WE intend to use a term for our purposes -- regardless of whether people normally use the term that way.
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Ayer says that philosophy seeks, not "explicit definitions," but "definitions in use." A "definition in use" is
{ 1 } - a definition that explains what sentences using the term mean but doesn't give a phase that directly replaces the term.
{ 2 } - a definition that represents how people actually use a term.
{ 3 } - a stipulation about how WE intend to use a term for our purposes -- regardless of whether people normally use the term that way.
Explicit definition: "bachelor" means "unmarried man."
Definition in use: "the average family has 2.6 children" means "the number of children in families divided by the number of families equals 2.6."
In the second case, no phrase directly replaces "the average family," but we see how to paraphrase out the term to get an equivalent sentence. "The average family" is a logical construct; it gives a short way to make complex claims about real families.
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Ayer says that philosophy seeks, not "explicit definitions," but "definitions in use." A "definition in use" is
{ 1 } - a definition that explains what sentences using the term mean but doesn't give a phase that directly replaces the term.
{ 2 } - a definition that represents how people actually use a term.
{ 3 } - a stipulation about how WE intend to use a term for our purposes -- regardless of whether people normally use the term that way.
Explicit definitions can do this too. So this isn't the distinction that Ayer is trying to draw.
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Ayer says that philosophy seeks, not "explicit definitions," but "definitions in use." A "definition in use" is
{ 1 } - a definition that explains what sentences using the term mean but doesn't give a phase that directly replaces the term.
{ 2 } - a definition that represents how people actually use a term.
{ 3 } - a stipulation about how WE intend to use a term for our purposes -- regardless of whether people normally use the term that way.
This isn't the distinction that Ayer is trying to draw.
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the end