more from Donald Davidson

Single Idea 8252

[catalogued under 12. Knowledge Sources / D. Empiricism / 1. Empiricism]

Full Idea

Davidson thinks that experience can be nothing but an extra-conceptual impact on sensibility. So he concludes that experience must be outside the space of reasons.

Gist of Idea

Davidson believes experience is non-conceptual, and outside the space of reasons

Source

report of Donald Davidson (Coherence Theory of Truth and Knowledge [1983], I.6) by John McDowell - Mind and World I

Book Reference

McDowell,John: 'Mind and World' [Harvard 1996], p.14


A Reaction

McDowell's challenge to the view that experience is extra-conceptual seems to be the key debate among modern empiricists. My only intuition in this area is that we should beware of all-or-nothing solutions to such problems.