Single Idea 7769

[catalogued under 19. Language / C. Assigning Meanings / 9. Indexical Semantics]

Full Idea

Davidson's response to the problem of how you would state truth conditions for "I am sick now" ...is to relativize its truth to a particular speaker and a time.

Gist of Idea

You can state truth-conditions for "I am sick now" by relativising it to a speaker at a time

Source

report of Donald Davidson (Truth and Meaning [1967]) by William Lycan - Philosophy of Language Ch.9

Book Reference

Lycan,William G.: 'Philosophy of Language' [Routledge 2000], p.142


A Reaction

Lycan is not happy with this, but it seems a reasonable way to treat the truth of any statement containing indexicals. Never mind the 'truth conditions theory of meaning' - just ask whether "I am sick now" is true.