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Single Idea 11144

[from 'Thought and Talk' by Donald Davidson, in 18. Thought / D. Concepts / 5. Concepts and Language / a. Concepts and language ]

Full Idea

A private attitude is not intelligible except as an adjustment to the public norms provided by language. It follows that a creature must be a member of speech community if it is to have the concept of belief.

Gist of Idea

Concepts are only possible in a language community

Source

Donald Davidson (Thought and Talk [1975], p.170)

Book Reference

Davidson,Donald: 'Inquiries into Truth and Interpretation (2nd ed)' [OUP 2001], p.170


A Reaction

This obviously draws on Wittgenstein's private language argument, and strikes me as blatantly wrong, because I take higher animals to have concepts without language. Pure vision gives rise to concepts. I don't even think they are necessarily conscious.