The Poverty of the Stimulus Argument

Stephen Laurence · Eric Margolis

286 citations0/0 files storedThe British Journal for the Philosophy of Science

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Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation Philosophy and Theoretical Science Wittgensteinian philosophy and applications

Abstract

Noam Chomsky's Poverty of the Stimulus Argument is one of the most famous and controversial arguments in the study of language and the mind. Though widely endorsed by linguists, the argument has met with much resistance in philosophy. Unfortunately, philosophical critics have often failed to fully appreciate the power of the argument. In this paper, we provide a systematic presentation of the Poverty of the Stimulus Argument, clarifying its structure, content, and evidential base. We defend the argument against a variety of philosophical criticisms, new and old, and argue that the Poverty of the Stimulus Argument continues to deserve its guiding role in the study of language and the mind.

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1964ASPECTS OF THE THEORY OF SYNTAX 1993Lectures on Government and Binding 2014The Minimalist Program 1994On The Language Instinct 1984Lectures on government and binding . By Noam Chomsky. (Studies in generative grammar, 9.) Dordrecht, Holland, & Cinnaminson, NJ: Foris, 1981. Pp. 371. Cloth f 90.00, paper f 50.00. - Some concepts and consequences of the theory of government and binding . By Noam Chomsky. (Linguistic Inquiry monographs, 6.) Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1982. Pp. 110. Cloth $20.00, paper $7.95.1955Fact, Fiction, and Forecast.1989Critical period effects in second language learning: The influence of maturational state on the acquisition of English as a second language 1975Reflections on Language

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