[lit-ideas] Re: None Dare Call It Reason

WO:
> Given the prevalence of this expression [like] amongst my students in Canada, 
> the
> US and the UK, I have repeatedly attempted to deconstruct its meaning. My
> tentative conclusion is that the expression serves a particular psychological
> and social function: it distances the speaker from an explicit and direct
> affirmation of the accuracy or truth of the utterance, and, thus, it mitigates
> any responsibility the speaker may have for redeeming/justifying the truth or
> rightness of the claim.

You wish.  "Like" has all the meaning of "uh".  Pure filler.  It functions like 
in "you know?"  Like it serves as a  kind of -- um, you know, like, a breath 
gap.  Not everything is reducible to philosophy, Walter.  Some things preserve 
their like, you know, um, uh, hmm, purity of unmeaning despite all or 
cognitions..

> The most systematic explication of the "like" phenomenon in social and 
> political
> contexts, is provided in John Rawls's "Political Liberalism." Like, you know
> what I mean? No claims of substantive truth or rightness are involved.

Well, uh, hmm, I guess I'm like going to have to go with Rawls here.  It's all 
just made up as far as I can tell.  Truth is just a wild ass guess.  But some 
of the made up makes more sense than other made up does -- at least according 
to my make up of make ups.  In other words, I don't believe in revelation.


Mike Geary
Memphis
for sure

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <wokshevs@xxxxxx>
To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; "David Ritchie" <ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, September 19, 2008 1:47 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: None Dare Call It Reason


> Quoting David Ritchie <ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
> 
>> Paradox that occurred to me while walking:
> 
> WO: Was the paradox that dawned upon you that you could never possibly arrive
> at
> your destination and yet you did?  If so, beware of the giggling milkmaids.
> (They may take you in.)
> 
> 
>> the generation  
>> characterized by over-use of "like" struggles when asked to formulate  
>> comparative statements for analytical purposes.
> 
> WO: Given the prevalence of this expression amongst my students in Canada, the
> US and the UK, I have repeatedly attempted to deconstruct its meaning. My
> tentative conclusion is that the expression serves a particular psychological
> and social function: it distances the speaker from an explicit and direct
> affirmation of the accuracy or truth of the utterance, and, thus, it mitigates
> any responsibility the speaker may have for redeeming/justifying the truth or
> rightness of the claim. ("Hey, I'm just talkin'. Like, what, I'm supposed to
> always know why I believe what I believe? Or, like, I gotta be able to prove 
> to
> you that anything I says is right really is right? Like, who the hell are you
> anyway? An what is "really right," like, really anyway. Who are you, anyways,
> God? John Rawls??
> 
> On this theory, when it is said - "So when she told me that I failed my test, 
> I
> felt, like, how could I fail that test?!" - the "like" serves to qualify the
> validity of the response and signals to others that any perception by them of
> the speaker's certainty of the truth or rightness of the sentence uttered is
> inappropriate and misplaced. The speaker thus shields herself from others'
> queries regarding any final validity of her claim since she is not expressedly
> claiming the claim as presented/uttered. It's only "like" I'm claiming the
> claim, but not really - like, you know what I mean? (Yes, things get to be
> recursive, after awhile.)
> 
> The most systematic explication of the "like" phenomenon in social and 
> political
> contexts, is provided in John Rawls's "Political Liberalism." Like, you know
> what I mean? No claims of substantive truth or rightness are involved.
> 
> Like, Walter O.
> MUN
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> 
>> David Ritchie,
>> Portland, Oregon
>> 
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