more on this theme | more from this thinker
Full Idea
Someone cannot have a belief unless he understands the possibility of being mistaken.
Gist of Idea
Having a belief involves the possibility of being mistaken
Source
Donald Davidson (Thought and Talk [1975], p.170)
Book Ref
'Stanford Online Encyclopaedia of Philosophy', ed/tr. Stanford University [plato.stanford.edu], p.170
A Reaction
If you pretend to throw a ball for a dog, but don't release it, the dog experiences being mistaken very dramatically.
| 6394 | The pattern of sentences held true gives sentences their meaning [Davidson] |
| 6395 | An understood sentence can be used for almost anything; it isn't language if it has only one use [Davidson] |
| 11144 | Concepts are only possible in a language community [Davidson] |
| 11145 | Having a belief involves the possibility of being mistaken [Davidson] |
| 6396 | A sentence is held true because of a combination of meaning and belief [Davidson] |
| 6397 | The concept of belief can only derive from relationship to a speech community [Davidson] |
| 6392 | Thought depends on speech [Davidson] |
| 6393 | A creature doesn't think unless it interprets another's speech [Davidson] |