By comprehensively exploring the theoretical questions raised by professional communication, this book provides an introduction to the philosophy of communication.

Key Features:Arranged in three parts encompassing the theory of communication, conflict transformation and the role communication plays within organizations.
Examines how agreement is reached through communication, how such agreement is negotiated between different perspectives and how such negotiation produces our organizations. Includes a full range of pedagogical features, including study questions, essay questions. chapter summaries, focus points and suggestions for further reading.


Philosophy of Communication is essential reading for all students of the philosophy of communication.

Giacomo Turbanti is Research Fellow in the Department of Civilizations and Forms of Knowledge, University of Pisa, Italy.

Part I. Towards a cognitive theory of communication.- Chapter 1. The phenomenon of human communication.- Chapter 2. The semiotic approach.- Chapter 3. Syntactic, semantic and pragmatic rules.- Chapter 4. The limits of the code model.- Chapter 5. Grice's inferential model.- Chapter 6. Levels of meaning.- Chapter 7. Relevance Theory.- Part II. The role of communication in conflict transformation.- Chapter 8. What are conflicts and why do they occur?.- Chapter 9. Conflict analysis.- Chapter 10. Conflict dynamics.- Chapter 11. Conflict transformation.- Part III. The communicative constitution of organizations.- Chapter 12. Organizations and communication.- Chapter 13. Classical theories of organizations.- Chapter 14. Systems theory.- Chapter 15. Sensemaking.- Chapter 16. Emergent organizations.- Chapter 17. Objectivity.- Chapter 18. Normativity.