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Full Idea
Truth is the essential semantic concept with which to begin a top-down analysis of sentences, since truth, or lack of it, is the most obvious semantic property of sentences, and provides the clearest explanation of judging and conveying information.
Gist of Idea
Top-down semantic analysis must begin with truth, as it is obvious, and explains linguistic usage
Source
Donald Davidson (Truth and Predication [2005], Intro)
Book Ref
Davidson,Donald: 'Truth and Predication' [Belknap Harvard 2005], p.2
A Reaction
[a bit compressed] Presumably this goes with giving sentences semantic priority. The alternative approach is compositional, and is likely to give reference of terms priority over truth of the sentence. But accurate reference is a sort of truth.
Related Idea
Idea 19131 We recognise sentences at once as linguistic units; we then figure out their parts [Davidson]
| 7767 | The theory of definite descriptions aims at finding correct truth conditions [Russell, by Lycan] |
| 8189 | Truth-condition theorists must argue use can only be described by appeal to conditions of truth [Dummett] |
| 8191 | The truth-conditions theory must get agreement on a conception of truth [Dummett] |
| 2559 | Davidson's theory of meaning focuses not on terms, but on relations between sentences [Rorty] |
| 19132 | Top-down semantic analysis must begin with truth, as it is obvious, and explains linguistic usage [Davidson] |
| 11076 | Community implies assertability-conditions rather than truth-conditions semantics [Kripke, by Hanna] |
| 6989 | I can understand "He has a beard", without identifying 'he', and hence the truth conditions [Jackson] |
| 3079 | Truth in a language is explained by how the structural elements of a sentence contribute to its truth conditions [Harman] |
| 16401 | To understand an utterance, you must understand what the world would be like if it is true [Stalnaker] |
| 2459 | Externalist semantics are necessary to connect the contents of beliefs with how the world is [Fodor] |
| 13964 | Semantic content is a proposition made of sentence constituents (not some set of circumstances) [Soames] |
| 2547 | There is information if there are symbols which refer, and which can combine into a truth or falsehood [McGinn] |
| 7770 | Truth conditions will come out the same for sentences with 'renate' or 'cordate' [Lycan] |
| 18997 | Truth-conditions as subject-matter has problems of relevance, short cut, and reversal [Yablo] |
| 7323 | If truth is deflationary, sentence truth-conditions just need good declarative syntax [Miller,A] |