Donald Davidson Quotes
Donald Davidson was an American philosopher whose work in the philosophy of action, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind shaped late twentieth-century analytic thought. He defended an event-based account of action, in which reasons are causes, and developed the position of anomalous monism, on which mental events are physical but not subject to strict psycho-physical laws. The quotes below are attributed to Donald Davidson, organized by topic.
Donald Davidson on Knowledge
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Attributed to Donald Davidson:
“Charity is forced upon us; whether we like it or not, if we want to understand others, we must count them right in most matters.”
Donald Davidson on Mind
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Attributed to Donald Davidson:
“Reasons are causes.”
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Attributed to Donald Davidson:
“Without thought there is no language; without language there is no thought.”
Donald Davidson on Truth
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Attributed to Donald Davidson:
“There is no such thing as a language, not if a language is anything like what many philosophers and linguists have supposed.”
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Attributed to Donald Davidson:
“Belief is by nature veridical.”