[lit-ideas] Elementary Propositon, Atomic Proposition
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2004 11:27:39 EDT
In a message dated 4/17/2004 10:34:46 AM Eastern Standard Time,
atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
Much to Donal's chagrin, I'm with him here. If you can ask "what is?" of
any element of an EP and get an answer, then the EP ain't EPal. I suggest
that 'is' is the only EP. Bill Clinton would disagree and maybe Monica,
too. But I don't know how to analyse 'is', and I think that's the final
word on that.
Mike Geary
proud to be of service
---
For what it's worth, there is, apparently, no collocation "elementary
proposition" in the OED. There are a few quotes for "ATOMIC proposition",
though.
I append below. I guess Wittgenstein would distinguish between 'elementary
proposition' and 'atomic proposition', but I'm not sure (Be reminded he spake
German).
Cheers,
JL
----
From the OED
'atomic'.
In modern philosophy: unanalysable, irreducible, ultimate, essential; also,
of a sentence: without conjunctions or other connective words.
Cites -- as it applies to 'proposition':
1912 L. WITTGENSTEIN Let. (to Russell) in Notebks. 1914-16 (1961) 120,
I believe that our problems can be traced down to the atomic propositions.
1918 B. RUSSELL in Monist 523
An atomic proposition is one which does mention actual particulars, not
merely describe them but actually name them.
1922 tr. Wittgenstein's Tract. Log.-Phil. 31
An atomic fact is a combination of objects (entities, things).
1929 WITTGENSTEIN in Knowledge, Exper. & Realism (Aristotelian Soc. Suppl.,
Vol. IX) 163
The propositions which represent this ultimate connexion of terms I call,
after B. Russell, atomic propositions.
1933 Mind XLII. 38
Similar to the species of geometry, we might have in logic â??a logic of atomic
propositionsâ?? and â??a logic of molecular propositionsâ??.
1948 B. RUSSELL Human Knowl. II. ix. 145 We give the name â??atomic sentenceâ??
to one not containing logical words.
1956 G. RYLE in Ayer et al. Revol. Philos. 10
The analysis of compound propositions into their simple elements, the
conjunctionless or â??atomicâ?? propositions.
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