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Single Idea 7769
[filed under theme 19. Language / C. Assigning Meanings / 9. Indexical Semantics
]
Full Idea
Davidson's response to the problem of how you would state truth conditions for "I am sick now" ...is to relativize its truth to a particular speaker and a time.
Gist of Idea
You can state truth-conditions for "I am sick now" by relativising it to a speaker at a time
Source
report of Donald Davidson (Truth and Meaning [1967]) by William Lycan - Philosophy of Language Ch.9
Book Ref
Lycan,William G.: 'Philosophy of Language' [Routledge 2000], p.142
A Reaction
Lycan is not happy with this, but it seems a reasonable way to treat the truth of any statement containing indexicals. Never mind the 'truth conditions theory of meaning' - just ask whether "I am sick now" is true.
The
15 ideas
with the same theme
[giving meanings for terms that obviously depend on context]:
19233
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Indexicals are unusual words, because they stimulate the hearer to look around
[Peirce]
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21550
|
Science reduces indexicals to a minimum, but they can never be eliminated from empirical matters
[Russell]
|
7769
|
You can state truth-conditions for "I am sick now" by relativising it to a speaker at a time
[Davidson, by Lycan]
|
12151
|
If we replace 'I' in sentences about me, they are different beliefs and explanations of behaviour
[Perry]
|
18412
|
Indexicals individuate certain belief states, helping in explanation and prediction
[Perry]
|
22418
|
I can know indexical truths a priori, unlike their non-indexical paraphrases
[McGinn]
|
6899
|
The references of indexicals ('there', 'now', 'I') depend on the circumstances of utterance
[Mautner]
|
15605
|
I take indexicals such as 'this' and 'that' to be linked to some associated demonstration
[Fine,K]
|
22932
|
We don't just describe a time as 'now' from a private viewpoint, but as a fact about the world
[Le Poidevin]
|
16389
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If two people think 'I am tired', they think the same thing, and they think different things
[Recanati]
|
16364
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Indexical don't refer; only their tokens do
[Recanati]
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16363
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Indexicals (like mental files) determine their reference relationally, not by satisfaction
[Recanati]
|
18408
|
Indexicals are just non-constant in meaning, and don't involve any special concepts
[Cappelen/Dever]
|
18414
|
Fregeans say 'I' differs in reference, so it must also differ in sense
[Cappelen/Dever]
|
18423
|
All indexicals can be expressed non-indexically
[Cappelen/Dever]
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