The Lexicon · Genealogy · Modern
DAVIDSON, DONALD
1917–2003
Radical Interpretation (Reading the Artist Statement)
Davidson asked how we could translate a wholly unknown language, given only the speaker's assents to sentences in context. The GAI's curators do this daily. The applicant submits a 1500-character statement. The curator has no shared world with the applicant. The principle of charity is applied: the statement is assumed to be largely true and largely coherent. The translation begins. The artist is interpreted into existence.