tore nordenstam explanation and understanding in the history of art

called transcendental conditions, the approach might well be called transcendentalpragmatic”.
Attempts like those of K.-O.Apel to develop a transcendental-pragmatic
approach to the traditional problems of philosophy might then, perhaps, be regarded as
the beginning of a fourth stage of the controversy over explanation and understanding. 83
3.2. Actions, rules and precedents
“Give me an apple, please,” I said to my daughter, and she gave me an apple. How is it
possible that my uttering some words can have this result ? In order for her to be able to
give me an apple upon hearing my request, she must have acquired a number of skills.
She must have learned what giving is, what the word “me” stands for when it is used by a
speaker, and what the word “apple” means. Site must have learned to distinguish apples
from other things, and she must have acquired the motor skills which are required for
handing over a thing like an apple to somebody. The skills which are necessary for her to
be able to give me an apple upon hearing my request are at once linguistic, cognitive,
perceptual and practical. When she has learned to perceive, understand, and act in the
indicated ways, she may be said to have acquired the concept ‘apple’.
Generalizing from the example, we may say that in a full-fledged case of mastering a
concept, the individual must have the following skills:
(1) the ability to identify instances of the concept ‘C’ as instances of ‘C;
(2) the the ability Co use the expression "C" or some synonymous expression in
meaningful ways ;
(3) the ability to understand the expression "C" or some synonymous expression
when it is used by other people ;
(4) the ability to perform actions which are connected with instances of ‘C’. 84
83
Cf. K.-O. Apel, Transformation der Philosophie, I-II, Suhrkamp Veerlag, Frankfurt 1973.
84
Cf. L. Nørreklit, Concepts. Their nature and Significance for Metaphysics and Epistemology, Odense
University Press 1973, p. 37.