[lit-ideas] Re: Malt, Coffee & Chuck Taylor

  • From: Omar Kusturica <omarkusto@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2006 22:59:40 -0700 (PDT)


--- wokshevs@xxxxxx wrote:


> I would have thought that "The coffee is hot" has no
> truth-value precisely
> because the expression does "depend on subjective
> criteria" - which is to say,
> no criteria or conditions at all. (At least when
> formulated in the abstract.)
> It has no cognitive significance, as it used to be
> said. 
> 
> However, "The coffee was much too hot" does bear
> cognitive significance when
> claimed in a court of law by somebody who bought and
> was scalded by a cup of
> McDonald's coffee. That statement will be found to
> be either true or false - as
> in, "to say of what is that it is, to say of what is
> not that it is not.".

*I am not sure about the distinction between "The
coffee is hot" and "the coffee was much too hot." The
only difference seems to be that the second is
stronger. If a McDonald's employee had said "Be
careful, the coffee is hot" that would probably have
been a reasonable warning. The court, in order to
settle the issue, would probably have to establish
whether or not a physical injury took place, rather
than deal with subjective impressions alone.

Statements like "The coffee is very hot" are not
meaningless. If you take something like "Tennis is
difficult", or "Henry James is interesting", it is
possible not only to understand the statement but also
to agree or disagree with it, even bring something
like arguments in support of your opinion. Yet it's
difficult to seriously believe that they have a truth
value, i.e. that they could be proven true or false.

O.K.

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