[lit-ideas] Re: Counter-Suggestion
- From: Paul Stone <pastone@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 10:20:45 -0400
> This touches on a similar scenario discussed by Grice. Since P. A. Stone
> says he doesnot need the Gricean formula I'll use a scenario of P. A. Stone
> and his son:
>
> P. A. Stone says to his son, "Turn off the light" (I know it did work with
> my father and me).
>
> The son, in an act of disobedience, does not.
>
> P. A. Stone is aware of that, therefore, instead of _learning_ the child
> (I use 'learn' to mean 'teach') utters:
>
> "Keep the light on!"
>
> therefore the child disobediently goes and turns it off.
>
> Grice (WOW, v -- googlebooks) asks:
>
> Could we say that when [P. A. Stone] utterered, "Keep the light on!" he
> meant that his addressee was to turn it off? The answer Grice gives is "yes".
>
> Mutatis mutandis, a community of counter-suggestible addressees _is_
> possible; therefore perhaps O. W. may reconsider his interesting claims?
>
The cool thing is that, just by watching me, my son will, even at only
just over 2 years old, automatically turn the light out when he leaves
a room (if he can reach it). And if he can't reach it, he will say
"light, light" until I lift him to the switch to turn it off. Then he
claps his hands together and says "off... good boy". And neither his
mother nor I have EVER told him to turn the light off. I think he's
got a chip installed with additional natural instincts.
p
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