[lit-ideas] Re: The Life and Death of Wittgenstein
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 15 May 2009 20:34:14 EDT
In a message dated 5/15/2009 10:52:05 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
My post drew these distinctions afair; and my point was that the
tautological truth is not philosophically profound
----
But it _is_ when you want to correct all the bullshit from journalists.
Consider
"Farrah Fawcett is dying"
"And so is Ryan O'Neal, strictly"
"No, serious. The woman is seriously ill"
"But she is alive"
"But no kicking".
This is tautological for Wittgenstein:
"p & q" depicts the same fact as "q & p"
"alive _and_ kicking".
Etc.
One problem with Wittgenstein is his disregard for time. Consider
Socrates died and he drank he hemlock.
This is true -- depicts a true fact. But the reverse seems like a more
proper thing to say:
Socrates drank the hemlock and (then, as a consequence of this)
died.
---- example due to Ryle ("Dilemmas" -- against the logical atomism of "p
& q").
Wittgenstein was possibly a materialist and would think that unless matter
is _disintegrated_, there is a sense in which "Wittgenstein is buried in
Basilea" depicts a true fact.
I'm not.
Good night. See you all tomorrow.
JLS
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