TY - JOUR
T1 - Why ‘Swampman’ would not even get as far as thinking it was Davidson
T2 - On the spatio-temporal basis of Davidson’s conjuring trick
AU - Read, Rupert
AU - Christensen, Bo Allesøe
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - In this article, we analyse one of the most famous recent thought-experiments in philosophy, namely Donald Davidson's Swampman. Engaging recent commentators on Davidson's Swampman as well as analysing the spatio-temporal conditions of the thought-experiment, we will show how the ‘experiment’ inevitably fails. For it doesn't take seriously some of its own defining characteristics: crucially, Swampman's creation of a sudden in a place distinct from Davidson's. Instead of denigrating philosophical thought-experiments per se, our analysis points towards considering thought-experiments in a different sense: imaginary scenarios helpfully self-deconstructing rather than constituting substantive philosophical resources.
AB - In this article, we analyse one of the most famous recent thought-experiments in philosophy, namely Donald Davidson's Swampman. Engaging recent commentators on Davidson's Swampman as well as analysing the spatio-temporal conditions of the thought-experiment, we will show how the ‘experiment’ inevitably fails. For it doesn't take seriously some of its own defining characteristics: crucially, Swampman's creation of a sudden in a place distinct from Davidson's. Instead of denigrating philosophical thought-experiments per se, our analysis points towards considering thought-experiments in a different sense: imaginary scenarios helpfully self-deconstructing rather than constituting substantive philosophical resources.
UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14679205
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85064504661&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/phin.12236
DO - 10.1111/phin.12236
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0190-0536
VL - 42
SP - 350
EP - 366
JO - Philosophical Investigations
JF - Philosophical Investigations
IS - 4
ER -