Davidson, between Realism andIdealism

Abstract

In 'The Structure and Content of Truth" Davidson proposes to adopt an intermediate position between realist and epistemic theories. It is our opinion that this adoption is not a change of his previous views but that he had already anticipated it in "A CoherenceTheory of Truth and Knowledge,"published seven years earlier. In addition, we contend that the paper's main thesis, according to which coherence engenders correspondence. endoses the nucleus of his proposal of an intennediate position. This thesis contains the germs of ideas that will enable him to connect the causal theory of belief and the coherent justitication theory. This connection will enableus to support the consistency of theses that in our view constitute this intermediate position, and justify their plausibility.