more from Donald Davidson

Single Idea 6392

[catalogued under 18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 1. Thought]

Full Idea

The thesis I want to refine and then argue for is that thought depends on speech.

Gist of Idea

Thought depends on speech

Source

Donald Davidson (Thought and Talk [1975], p.8)

Book Reference

'Mind and Language', ed/tr. Guttenplan,Samuel [OUP 1977], p.8


A Reaction

This has the instant and rather implausible implication that animals don't think. He is not, of course, saying that all thought is speech, which would leave out thinking in images. You can't do much proper thought without concepts and propositions.