Incommensurability, translation and understanding

Philosophical Quarterly 41 (165):414-426 (1991)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

This paper addresses the issue of how it is possible to understand the language of an incommensurable theory. The aim is to defend the idea of translation failure against the objection that it incoherently precludes understanding.

Categories

Keywords

Reprint years

DOI

10.2307/2220077

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

My notes

Similar books and articles

Translation failure between theories.Howard Sankey - 1991 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 22 (2):223-236.
A Reconsideration of the Relation Between Kuhnian Incommensurability and Translation.Vasso Kindi - 2017 - International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 31 (4):397-414.
Multisemiosis and Incommensurability.S. K. Arun Murthi & Sundar Sarukkai - 2009 - International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 23 (3):297-311.
Multisemiosis and Incommensurability.S. K. Arun Murthi - 2009 - International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 23 (3):297-311.
Incommensurability and Cross-Language Communication.Xinli Wang - 2007 - Ashgate Publishing Ltd, England.
The Incommensurability of Scientific Theories.Howard Sankey - 1989 - Dissertation, University of Melbourne
In defence of untranslatability.Howard Sankey - 1990 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 68 (1):1 – 21.
Correspondence, incommensurability, indeterminacy of translation, and understanding.V. Cernik & J. Vicenik - 1995 - Filozofia 50 (7):329-342.
Comment on Kuhn's "Commensurability, Comparability, Communicability".Mary Hesse - 1982 - PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1982:704-711.
Kuhn’s Theory of Incommensurability: A Special Reference to Theory of Meaning.Shabin Varghese - 2021 - Tattva Journal of Philosophy 13 (1):43-61.

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-01-28

Downloads
406 (#70,215)

6 months
105 (#57,930)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Howard Sankey
University of Melbourne

Citations of this work

Thomas Kuhn‘s Latest Notion of Incommensurability.Xiang Chen - 1997 - Journal for General Philosophy of Science / Zeitschrift für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie 28 (2):257-273.
From the Pessimistic Induction to Semantic Antirealism.Greg Frost-Arnold - 2011 - Philosophy of Science 78 (5):1131-1142.

View all 8 citations / Add more citations

References found in this work

On the Very Idea of a Conceptual Scheme.Donald Davidson - 1973 - Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association 47:5-20.
Against Method.P. Feyerabend - 1975 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 26 (4):331-342.
Semantic theory.Jerrold J. Katz - 1972 - New York,: Harper & Row.
Theory change and the indeterminacy of reference.Hartry Field - 1973 - Journal of Philosophy 70 (14):462-481.
Theories, theorists and theoretical change.Philip Kitcher - 1978 - Philosophical Review 87 (4):519-547.

View all 9 references / Add more references