Introduction

Naturally, the theorists of formal semantics acknowledge that sentences cannot be said to be true or false in isolation. The theorist of formal semantics acknowledges the existence of context-dependent linguistic expressions while keeping in place his central claim that the rules governing meaning have to be understood with reference to the notion of truth. The Homeric Struggle that Strawson set out was thus, a conflict about the primary purpose or function of language. The Homeric Struggle about whether the rules governing the meaning of linguistic expressions can ultimately is accounted. The communication theorist's case against the theorist of formal semantics turns on the idea that the notion of a truth-condition can only be explicated with reference to the notion of a statement. The issue on which they diverge is the question of whether that specification requires appeal to the idea of a communication-intention, or whether any such appeal is optional.