[lit-ideas] Re: A Gricean Bit of Misunderstanding
- From: Donal McEvoy <donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:09:36 +0100 (BST)
--- On Thu, 23/6/11, Lawrence Helm <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
JL,
>Well, no, misunderstanding isn't all-pervasive. Did I say that? I hope not.
>What I said or meant to say is that all language is potentially ambiguous. No
>text can be written in such a way as to avoid the possibility of
>misunderstanding.>
That is also how I understood the claim that it is not possible to write so
that one cannot be misunderstood - it wasn't claiming that all writing is
always misunderstand or is only misunderstood.
Popper writes about this idea that "all language is potentially ambiguous"
somewhere in his _Schilpp_ volumes, and does afair argue that from a logical
POV all theories or theoretical systems [even of the most developed kind] are
systematically ambiguous:- to paraphrase Wittgenstein, they always stand in
need of an interpretation. He puts this forward not as opinion but as a
logician of some standing.
That diary entries are for the writer's eyes only is an assumption that would
not show that no other eyes might misunderstand them; but also the writer might
come back and wonder 'What did I mean by that?' or even misunderstand them; and
even if the writer partially understood them, their understanding might be
incomplete and were it tested fully might be found wanting. It may also be
argued, along similar lines to Popper's case why theories are 'systematically
ambiguous', that the writer's understanding is necessarily always partial and
incomplete and would always be found wanting if tested fully. For these reasons
JLS's rebuttal, by way of communications that are not capable of being
misunderstood, does not, I think, bear examination.
Btw, to say Ginger is indecisive may be to misunderstand what is a constant
process of evaluation and risk-assessment, as well as a profound ability to get
humans to perform door-keeping services [the cat I know best, Tinka, will
refuse to use the flap at times, preferring to wait and even cry out until a
human has opened the door for her].
Donal
London
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