Irreplaceable Language

That sheet stuff/'s a lot a cheese

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Philosophical Investigations 75-100

Let me preface this post with saying that I am typing without my contacts in, so there will probably be several errors: just a forewarning. I'm going to do the same thing I did with section 50-75.

77. In such a difficulty always ask yourself: How did we learn the meaning of thiis word ("good" for instance)? From what sort of examples? in what language-games? Then it will be easier for you to see that the word must have a family of meanings.
81. If anyone utters a sentence and means or understands it he is operating a calculus according to definite rules
84. I said that the applications of a word is not everywhere bounded by rules. But what does a game look like that is everywhere bounded by rules?
87. The sign-post is in order--if, under normal circumstances, it fulfils its purpose.
89. Something that we know when no one asks us, but no longer know when we are suppose to give an account of it, is something that we need to remind ourselves of.
93. A misunderstanding makes it look to us as if a proposition did something queer.
94. A proposition is a queer thing!
95. 'Thoughts must be something unique'. ....Thought can be of what is not the case.
97. Thought is surrounded by a halo.--Its essence, logic, presents an order, in fact the a priori order ofthe world: that is, the order of possibilities, which must be common to both world and thought. But this order, it seems, must be utterly simple. It is prior to all experience, must run through all experience; no empirical cloudiness or uncertainty can be allowed to affect it---It must rather be of the purest crystal. But this crystal does not appear as an abstraction; but as something concrete, indeed, as the most concrete, as it were the hardest thing there is........if the words "language", "experience", "world", have ause, it must be as humble a one as that of the words "table", "lamp", "door".
100. But I want to say: we misunderstood the role of the ideal in our language. That is to say: we too should call it a game, only we are dazzled by the ideal and therefore fail to see the actual use of the word "game" clearly.

A few thoughts: W alludes to this idea that one can, and does, forget what they know. He uses the example of a chess game. Do you "know" the rules of chess at all times, or just when you play? One can say "I was in pain all day yesterday." But what does it mean when one says, "I knew the meaning of that word all day"? With this comes the idea of "reminding" ourselves of certain things. Everything cannot be present in our minds, and so we have memory which allows us to remember (which is an interested word come to think of it, re-member, re-structure, re-troop, re-group, re-establish, re-inscribe, re-write, etc.)

Well, I was gonna go through 150, (since that's where I've read to) but my hands and eyes are tired. I will post the 100-150 separately tomorrow. Happy reading!

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