Der Titel seines Vortrags ist: Solidarity, not Charity: On Ideals of Interpretation
Abstract: The Principle of Charity, made famous by Quine and Davidson, states that one must translate another’s utterances into one’s own current idiolect, or one must interpret another’s utterances in light of one’s own current beliefs and desires. Mark Schroeder even goes so far to argue that persons are constituted by the most charitable interpretation of their contribution to the world. In this talk, I argue against charity as an ideal of interpretation. Charity is a unidirectional principle: For Davidson, we interpret another’s speech without thereby making ourselves understood—without thereby sharing our interpretation with them. For Schroeder, we interpret other people without thereby allowing them to understand our interpretation of them, and without thereby sharing our reasons. I contend that a better ideal is bidirectional: In interpreting another, we should strive for mutual understanding that makes possible shared reasoning and proper conversation.