[lit-ideas] Re: What would Wittgenstein do?
- From: John Wager <johnwager@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 07 Oct 2005 22:09:13 -0500
Mike Geary wrote:
I have a question for the philosophers on this list. A serious
question -- no, that's not oxymoronic with me: it regards the
meaning of 'will' as used by Kant and Nietzsche and Schopenhauer and,
hell, just about every one of those thought workers. I've never been
sure what they're talking about when they say "will".
Here's a short, quick attempt:
"Wishing" is not really an action; it's just thinking. But to "will"
something requires doing something. If I do not actually take steps
toward something, it's not willing it.
Further, to "will" something is to do it deliberately, after reflection
or thought. Right now, my left foot is resting on top of my right foot.
I "did" this, but I didn't think about it before I did it. But I just
thought about moving my right hand up to my cheek to scratch an itch.
The second action was "willed" where the first one was not. So to
"will" something for Kant requires one to think about what one is doing
before doing it. If one just acts out of habit, it's not strictly "willed."
--
-------------------------------------------------
"Never attribute to malice that which can be
explained by incompetence and ignorance."
-------------------------------------------------
John Wager johnwager@xxxxxxxxxxx
Forest Park, IL, USA
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
