4 ideas
18465 | An 'equivalence' relation is one which is reflexive, symmetric and transitive [Kunen] |
Full Idea: R is an equivalence relation on A iff R is reflexive, symmetric and transitive on A. | |
From: Kenneth Kunen (The Foundations of Mathematics (2nd ed) [2012], I.7.1) |
15160 | Davidson rejected ordinary meaning, and just used truth and reference instead [Davidson, by Soames] |
Full Idea: Davidson held that knowledge of truth and reference could give us a notion of meaning. He embraced Quine's rejection of analyticity, synonymy and ordinary meaning, and substituted truth and reference, when there was something genuine to capture. | |
From: report of Donald Davidson (Semantics for Natural Languages [1970]) by Scott Soames - Philosophy of Language 2.3 | |
A reaction: I always get a warm glow when anyone suggests that the concept of meaning involves the concept of truth. I largely reject Quine. Davidson made a helpful suggestion! |
14612 | Davidson aimed to show that language is structured by first-order logic [Davidson, by Smart] |
Full Idea: Davidson's program was to show the underlying structure of natural languages as that of first-order logic. | |
From: report of Donald Davidson (Semantics for Natural Languages [1970], 2) by J.J.C. Smart - The Tenseless Theory of Time 2 | |
A reaction: First order logic just reasons about a domain of objects with predicates attached to them. Language appears to refer to properties and relations as well as objects. |
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. |