Date of Award

Spring 5-16-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Philosophy

First Advisor

Alexandra Bradner

Abstract

In this Honors Thesis, I challenge Donald Davidson’s rejection of the very idea of a conceptual scheme. Davidson equates alternative conceptual schemes with untranslatable languages and develops two lines of critique against both complete and partial untranslatability, thereby rejecting incommensurability. Regarding complete untranslatability, Davidson argues that if a language is completely untranslatable, its speakers cannot be recognized as linguistic or rational agents. The notion of complete untranslatability is thus incoherent. Against this view, I propose that the interpreters can attribute both rationality and language in cases of complete untranslatability by appealing to perceptual cues and complex, patterned behavior. This claim is supported by an overlooked possibility: Complete untranslatability might be asymmetrical between languages. Regarding partial untranslatability, Davidson appeals to the indeterminacy of beliefs and meanings in interpretation, arguing that partial untranslatability is merely the interpreter’s withdrawal of charity and can be accommodated without positing distinct conceptual schemes. I argue that interpretation is constrained by social and perceptual factors beyond semantic data. Such constraints non-arbitrarily compel interpreters to attribute difference in conceptual schemes, which grants partial untranslatability as having determinate content. In general, this thesis is not a realist defense of conceptual schemes. It does not deny that the recognition of an alternative conceptual scheme requires a common ground. Rather, the disagreement concerns what the common ground is: Whether linguistic data exhaust the attribution of rationality, language, and conceptual scheme. Davidson says yes, and I argue no.

Rights Statement

All rights reserved. This copy is provided to the Kenyon Community solely for individual academic use. For any other use, please contact the copyright holder for permission.

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