Donald Davidson (1917-2003) was one of the most prominent philosophers of the second half of the twentieth century. His thinking about language, mind, and epistemology has shaped the views of several generations of philosophers. This book brings together articles by a host of prominent philosophers to provide new interpretations of Davidson’s key ideas about meaning, language and thought.
The book opens with short commemorative pieces by a wide range of people who knew Davidson well, giving us glimpses into the life of a great philosopher, a beloved husband and father, a colleague, teacher and friend. The chapter by Lepore and Ludwig and the ensuing heated debate with Frederick Stoutland on how to interpret Davidson demonstrate why Davidson’s legacy has become a disputed intellectual territory. The chapters by Kathrin Glüer, Peter Pagin, Barry Smith, James Higginbotham and William Child, all eminent philosophers of language, are prime examples of just one strand of this legacy, while the piece by Sophie Gibb gives us an opening to Davidson’s enormous contribution to philosophy of mind. Donald Davidson: Life and Words closes with a piece by Davidson himself, first published in 1995 in the International Journal of Philosophical Studies, where he brings together the various strands of his work in a Unified Theory of speech and action.
This book comprises key articles first published in the International Journal of Philosophical Studies and previously unpublished commemorative pieces, and serves as a fitting dedication to the work and memory of a great philosopher.
Foreword Marcia Cavell
Introduction: Davidson: Life and Legacy Maria Baghramian
Part I. Remembering Donald
1. Marcia Cavell
2. Akeel Bilgrami
3. Elizabeth Boyer (Davidson)
4. Tyler Burge
5. Pascal Engel
6. Dagfinn Follesdal
7. Kathrin Glüer
8. Gilbert Harman
9. John McDowell
10. Jeff Malpas
11. Thomas Nagel
12. Stephen Neale
13. Richard Rorty
14. Carol Rovane
15. Barry Stroud
16. Samuel C. Wheeler III
Part II. Interpreting Davidson
17. Ontology in the Theory of Meaning Ernest Lepore and Kirk Ludwig
18. A Mistaken View of Davidson's Legacy Frederick Stoutland
19. Radical Misinterpretation: A Reply to Stoutland Ernest Lepore and Kirk Ludwig
20. Radical Misinterpretation Indeed: Response to Lepore and Ludwig Frederick Stoutland
21. The Status of Charity I: Conceptual Truth or A Posteriori Necessity? Kathrin Glüer
22 The Status of Charity II: Charity, Probability, and Simplicity Peter Pagin
23. Davidson, Interpretation and First-Person Constraints on Meaning Barry Smith
24. Expression, Truth, Predication and Context: Two Perspectives James Higginbotham
25. Interpreting People and Interpreting Texts William Child
26. Why Davidson is not a Property Epiphenomenalist Sophie Gibb
Part III. The Last Word
27. Could There Be a Science of Rationality? Donald Davidson
Biography
Maria Baghramian is currently Head of the School of Philosophy at University College Dublin, Ireland, and Editor of the International Journal of Philosophical Studies. She has published widely on contemporary American philosophy, relativism and pluralism. In 2010 she was elected a member of the Royal Irish Academy.
