The chapter delves into the idea that words are not singular categories but rather sets of tokens, discussing their flexibility and multiplicity of categorization. It also explores the impact of dictionaries on our perception of language, the concept of nominalism, and the value of researching unconventional topics like puns within academic discourse.
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.