Delving into the complexity of puns, this chapter challenges traditional views on the metaphysics of words by examining how puns blur the distinctions between word types and tokens. The speakers analyze examples like 'sales' and 'reaction' to showcase how puns introduce ambiguity and indeterminacy in determining word types, presenting a unique metaphysical challenge. Through this analysis, the chapter sheds light on the intricate relationship between language, ontology, and the philosophical debate between nominalism and type-token realism.
David and Tamler choose an episode topic that will define the identity and meaning of the Very Bad Wizards podcast going forward – our top 3 existentialist movies. Plus, you’re gonna be shocked to hear this, you might want to sit down, but there has been surprisingly little research on the metaphysics of puns. We look at a recent paper that remedies this appalling gap in the literature – and maybe the biggest surprise of all, Tamler has some nice things to say about it.