A notion similar to that of Willard Van Orman Quine (1908-2000) (indeterminacy of translation), thought of primarily in connection with Donald Davidson (1930-2003) and his truth-conditional theory of meaning (see convention t).
To construct axioms suitable for deriving a theory of meaning for an alien language, we must interpret the utterances of its speakers. It is here that we have to engage in radical interpretation, aided now in choosing (but never conclusively) between the alternatives by the principle of charity, to which was later added that of humanity.
Unlike Quine, however, Davidson does not envisage different speakers having radically different conceptual schemes (see perspectivism). Rather, radical interpretation requires one to choose (upon occasion) between attributing false beliefs to one’s interlocutor and taking his utterances to mean something different from what they seem to mean at first sight; neither of these involves attributing to him a different conceptual scheme.
Source:
D Davidson, ‘Radical Interpretation’, Dialectica (1973); reprinted in D Davidson, Inquiries into Truth and Interpretation (1984)
Table of Contents
- 1 Videos
- 2 Related Products
- 2.1 Susan Sontag: Essays of the 1960s & 70s (LOA #246): Against Interpretation / Styles of Radical Will / On Photography / Illness as Metaphor / ... (Library of America Susan Sontag Edition)
- 2.2 You Shall Be As Gods: A Radical Interpretation of the Old Testament and Its Tradition
- 2.3 Radical Re-Interpretations: A Transformation of Hits Volume 1
- 2.4 A Radical Jew: Paul and the Politics of Identity (Volume 1) (Contraversions: Critical Studies in Jewish Literature, Culture, and Society)
- 2.5 Empire and Revolution: A Radical Interpretation of Contemporary History
- 2.6 Utopias — Radical Interpretations of Iconic Works for Percussion
- 2.7 Lost in America (DVD)
- 2.8 Praise Seeking Understanding: Reading the Psalms with Augustine (Radical Traditions)
- 2.9 The Pervert's Guide to Ideology
- 2.10 Mozart - Requiem / Kirkby · Watkinson · Rolfe Johnson · D. Thomas · AAM · Hogwood
- perspectivism
- radical empiricism
- indeterminacy of reference and translation
- Donald Davidson
- Willard Van Orman Quine
Videos
Susan Sontag: Essays of the 1960s & 70s (LOA #246): Against Interpretation / Styles of Radical Will / On Photography / Illness as Metaphor / ... (Library of America Susan Sontag Edition)
- Library of America
- Hardcover Book
- Sontag, Susan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 900 Pages - 09/26/2013 (Publication Date) - Library of America (Publisher)
You Shall Be As Gods: A Radical Interpretation of the Old Testament and Its Tradition
- Fromm, Erich (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 241 Pages - 07/01/1991 (Publication Date) - Henry Holt & Co (Publisher)
A Radical Jew: Paul and the Politics of Identity (Volume 1) (Contraversions: Critical Studies in Jewish Literature, Culture, and Society)
- Boyarin, Daniel (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 400 Pages - 11/11/1997 (Publication Date) - University of California Press (Publisher)
Empire and Revolution: A Radical Interpretation of Contemporary History
- Horowitz, David (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 06/01/1969 (Publication Date) - Random House (Publisher)
Lost in America (DVD)
- Factory sealed DVD
- Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty, Michael Greene (Actors)
- Albert Brooks (Director) - Albert Brooks (Writer) - Marty Katz (Producer)
- English, Spanish, French, Portuguese (Subtitles)
- English (Publication Language)
- Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Praise Seeking Understanding: Reading the Psalms with Augustine (Radical Traditions)
- Byassee, Jason (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 304 Pages - 11/08/2007 (Publication Date) - Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (Publisher)
The Pervert's Guide to Ideology
- Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
- Sophie Fiennes (Director) - Slavoj Žižek (Writer)
- English (Playback Language)
- English (Subtitle)
Mozart - Requiem / Kirkby · Watkinson · Rolfe Johnson · D. Thomas · AAM · Hogwood
- HOGWOOD C. / ACADEMY OF ANCIEN
- MUSICA CLASICA
- INTERNATIONAL
- MUSIC
- Audio CD – Audiobook
- English (Publication Language)
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