Donald Davidson's Philosophy of Language: An Introduction

By Bjorn T. Ramberg

Book Overview

Naba Barkakati is an electrical engineer and a successful computer-book author who has experience in a wide variety of systems, ranging from MS-DOS and Windows to UNIX and Linux. He bought his first personal computer -- an IBM PC-AT -- in 1984 after graduating with a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park. While pursuing a full-time career in engineering, Naba dreamed of writing software for the emerging PC software market. As luck would have it, instead of building a software empire like Microsoft, he ended up writing successful computer books. Currently, Naba is a Senior Level Technologist at the Center for Technology and Engineering in the U.S. General Accounting Office.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0631167862
• ISBN13: 9780631167860
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Blackwell Pub
• Length: 153 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Minor classic.

This book is, in my opinion, a minor classic which should be read by anyone interested in Davidson's work. Ramberg's exposition, though quite brief, repays close reading and is particularly useful for those who wish to situate Davidson's thought relative to continental or historical figures (another which is useful in this regard is Jeff Malpas' text, which has unfortunately gone out of print). In particular, Ramberg's discussion of incommensurability, and the effort to distinguish Davidson's position both from 'linguistic Kantianism' and relativism, help to show what is original about his philosophy, and to correct various misinterpretations thereof.