kohdekohtaisuus

Kohdekohtaisuus, also known as contextualism, is a philosophical position that holds that the truth-value of a statement depends on the context in which it is evaluated. This context can include various factors such as the speaker's intentions, the audience, the time and place of utterance, and the broader cultural or historical background.

Contextualism is often contrasted with absolutism, which posits that the truth-value of a statement is independent of any contextual factors. According to contextualists, statements like "It's raining" or "I am happy" can have different truth-values depending on the context in which they are uttered. For example, the statement "It's raining" might be true in one context but false in another, depending on the weather conditions at the time and place of utterance.

There are different types of contextualism. One prominent form is indexical contextualism, which holds that the truth-value of indexical expressions (such as "I," "here," "now," etc.) depends on the context of utterance. Another form is relativist contextualism, which holds that the truth-value of moral or evaluative statements depends on the context, such as cultural norms or personal values.

Critics of contextualism argue that it leads to relativism, where all truth claims are relative to some context, making it difficult to distinguish between objective and subjective truths. Proponents of contextualism, however, maintain that it provides a more accurate account of language use and the dynamics of meaning in natural languages.