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<p>The principle of charity was first introduced by Donald Davidson as an essential ingredient of&#xa0;radical interpretation, that is, as a principle that needs to be followed in order to interpret from&#xa0;scratch the speech and thoughts of alien speakers and thinkers. Did Davidson intend it also to be&#xa0;an essential ingredient of meaning itself, that is, a principle whose demands must be satisfied by&#xa0;speakers and thinkers? And did he intend it to apply to evaluative contents as well as to non-evaluative&#xa0;ones? This paper defends affirmative answers to these questions, first by showing&#xa0;how Davidson’s reflections on triangulation both corroborate his account of interpretation and&#xa0;vindicate its essential premise concerning the publicness of meaning, then by showing how these&#xa0;reflections on triangulation apply equally to questions about the nature of evaluative properties&#xa0;and their role in fixing the contents of evaluative attitudes.&#xa0;</p>

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The Status and the Scope of the Principle of Charity

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月12日

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  • Claudine Verheggen,
  • Robert H. Myers

摘要

The principle of charity was first introduced by Donald Davidson as an essential ingredient of radical interpretation, that is, as a principle that needs to be followed in order to interpret from scratch the speech and thoughts of alien speakers and thinkers. Did Davidson intend it also to be an essential ingredient of meaning itself, that is, a principle whose demands must be satisfied by speakers and thinkers? And did he intend it to apply to evaluative contents as well as to non-evaluative ones? This paper defends affirmative answers to these questions, first by showing how Davidson’s reflections on triangulation both corroborate his account of interpretation and vindicate its essential premise concerning the publicness of meaning, then by showing how these reflections on triangulation apply equally to questions about the nature of evaluative properties and their role in fixing the contents of evaluative attitudes.