Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Through the Looking Glass', 'Understanding and Essence' and 'Substances without Substrata'

unexpand these ideas     |    start again     |     choose another area for these texts

display all the ideas for this combination of texts

---

1 idea

19. Language / F. Communication / 6. Interpreting Language / c. Principle of charity

6316	We translate in a way that makes the largest possible number of statements true [Wilson,NL]
	Full Idea: We select as designatum that individual which will make the largest possible number of statements true.
	From: N.L. Wilson (Substances without Substrata [1959]), quoted by Willard Quine - Word and Object II.§13 n
	A reaction: From the Quine's reference, it sounds as if Wilson was the originator of the well-known principle of charity, later taken up by Davidson. If so, he should be famous, because it strikes me as a piece of fundamental and important wisdom.