Donald Davidson
Donald Davidson
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Full Name and Common Aliases
Donald Herbert Davidson (1917-2003) was an American philosopher known for his contributions to the fields of philosophy of language, epistemology, and metaphysics.
Birth and Death Dates
Born on June 6, 1917, in Springfield, Massachusetts, Davidson passed away on August 1, 2003, at the age of 86.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Davidson was an American philosopher, holding positions at Stanford University (1950-1967) and Rockefeller University (1967-1985).
Early Life and Background
Growing up in Springfield, Massachusetts, Davidson developed a passion for philosophy from an early age. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1939 and his Ph.D. from the same institution in 1942. After serving in the United States Army during World War II, Davidson began his academic career as a lecturer at Stanford University.
Major Accomplishments
Davidson is perhaps best known for his work on the philosophy of language, particularly his theory of anomalous monism and his critique of the concept of conceptual scheme. He also made significant contributions to the fields of epistemology and metaphysics through his work on truth, meaning, and mental states.
Notable Works or Actions
Davidson's most notable works include:
"Truth and Meaning" (1967): A seminal paper that challenged traditional notions of truth and meaning.
"Inquiries into Truth and Interpretation" (1984): A collection of essays that explored the nature of language, thought, and reality.
* "Subjective, Intersubjective, Objective" (2001): A work that examined the relationship between subjective experience, intersubjectivity, and objective reality.
Impact and Legacy
Davidson's philosophical ideas have had a profound impact on the fields of linguistics, cognitive science, and philosophy. His theory of anomalous monism has influenced the development of integrated information theory (IIT) in neuroscience. Davidson's critique of conceptual schemes has also shaped the way philosophers think about linguistic and cultural diversity.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Davidson is widely quoted and remembered for his insightful and provocative writings on the nature of language, thought, and reality. His ability to synthesize complex ideas into clear and concise prose has made him a beloved figure in the philosophical community.
Quotes by Donald Davidson
The Southerner does not have to labor to learn some things. We already know from the start who we are, where we are, where we belong, what we live by, what we live for.
There is no such thing as a language, not if a language is anything like what many philosophers and linguists have supposed. Thereis therefore no such thing to be learned, mastered, or born with. We must give up the idea of a clearly defined shared structure which language-users acquire and then apply to cases.
Nothing in the world, no object or event, would be true or false if there were not thinking creatures.
Mental events such as perceivings, rememberings, decisions, and actions resist capture in the net of physical theory.
Even if someone knew the entire physical history of the world, and every mental event were identical with a physical, it would notfollow that he could predict or explain a single mental event (so described, of course).
Conceptual relativism is a heady and exotic doctrine, or would be if we could make good sense of it. The trouble is, as so often in philosophy, it is hard to improve intelligibility while retaining the excitement.
The dominant metaphor of conceptual relativism, that of differing points of view, seems to betray an underlying paradox. Differentpoints of view make sense, but only if there is a common co-ordinate system on which to plot them; yet the existence of a common system belies the claim of dramatic incomparability.
If we cannot find a way to interpret the utterances and other behaviour of a creature as revealing a set of beliefs largely consistent and true by our own standards, we have no reason to count that creature as rational, as having beliefs, or as saying anything.