more from Donald Davidson

Single Idea 6390

[catalogued under 19. Language / B. Reference / 1. Reference theories]

Full Idea

I defend a version of the holistic approach, and urge that we must give up the concept of reference as basic to an empirical theory of language.

Clarification

The 'holistic' approach looks at all of a language together

Gist of Idea

With a holistic approach, we can give up reference in empirical theories of language

Source

Donald Davidson (Reality without Reference [1977], p.136)

Book Reference

'Reference, Truth and Reality', ed/tr. Platts,Mark [RKP 1980], p.136


A Reaction

He proposes to connect language to the world via the concept of truth, rather than of reference. It is a brilliant idea, and is the key issue in philosophy of language. I go back to animals, which seem to care about situations rather than things.