Contextualismi

Contextualismi is a family of theories in philosophy and linguistics that hold that the meaning of expressions and the truth-conditions of sentences depend on the context in which they are used. The core idea is that context—such as the speaker, the audience, time, place, and available information—plays a crucial role in determining how a sentence should be understood and evaluated.

In epistemology, contextualism is most associated with the claim that knowledge ascriptions are contextual. According to this view, whether a speaker is said to know a proposition can vary with conversational context. In ordinary contexts, people may be deemed to know ordinary facts, while in skeptical or highly demanding contexts the same proposition may not count as knowledge. Proponents like Keith DeRose argue that context shifts explain why we accept or doubt knowledge claims in different situations without appealing to changes in the world.

In the philosophy of language, contextualism holds that the content of certain terms and sentences is sensitive to context. This is especially discussed for indexicals and demonstratives (such as here, now, I, this) and for terms whose applicability depends on information available in the surrounding discourse. Contextualism thus contrasts with theories that treat meaning and truth-conditions as largely fixed across contexts.

Contextualismi has faced various criticisms, including challenges to its explanatory power and concerns about incoherence in cross-context communication. Ongoing debate covers the scope of its applicability and its implications for skepticism, communication, and knowledge attribution.