Introduction to the French edition of Must We Mean What We Say?

Must We Mean What We Say? is Stanley Cavell's first book, and, in a sense, it is his most important. It contains all the themes that Cavell continues to develop masterfully throughout his philosophy. It's not only relevant as a seminal work; its particular importance lies in assembling themes that, simply by being brought together, by their internal articulations, constitute a radical, original problematic that is then thematically developed. Must We Mean What We Say? is the only work of what is called contemporary thought to carry the project of ordinary language philosophy through to its end. Here, Laugier gives an introduction to the French edition of the book.