Representationalists view thought and language as mirrors of a mind-independent world. On this view, knowing is about accurately representing reality, and meaning lies in representational content. This book offers a pragmatist alternative: it argues that our practices are not just relevant but fundamental to both knowing and meaning—and that knowing-how should be seen as the primary form of knowledge. Building on neopragmatist tradition and engaging with classical pragmatism as well as recent work in epistemology, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of science, the book develops and defends methodologism. This novel framework reorients questions of knowledge and meaning around rule-guided rational practices. The book will appeal to students and scholars in these fields, as well as readers across the humanities and social sciences interested in language, rationality, and their role in communities.

Neopragmatism is booming, with excellent recent books from Amie Thomasson, Joshua Gert, Jose Zalabardo, and Matthieu Queloz, amongst others. Doing, Knowing and Getting it Right is a worthy addition to this welcome wave. Building on the inferentialism of Sellars and Brandom, Kuukkanen argues that knowledge and meaning are best understood via rule-bound practices. He calls this methodologism, and offers it as an attractive alternative to traditional representationalism. The book will be important reading for new-wave neopragmatists and their students.

Huw Price - University of Cambridge