[lit-ideas] Re: Not Surprisingly: Geary's Empathy
- From: Mike Geary <jejunejesuit.geary2@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:30:54 -0500
Surprisingly, JL does not notice the implicature implicit in my response to
Walter, namely that Walter is presumed to be wrong by me with no
argumentation to support my belief. Some might take objection to this
prejudice, but that would only bring me to include them in my prejudice
against universalism. One might argue that I engaged in universalization by
claiming that Walter is "wrong," rather than that Walter is wrong in
this here assertion.
Well, what can I say? The cookie crumbles.
Mike Geary
Memphis
On Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 1:01 PM, <Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> In a message dated 10/10/2011 1:15:43 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> jejunejesuit.geary2@xxxxxxxxx writes:
> Walter writes (not surprisingly): "Universality is constitutive of
> morality and as such is not itself open to decision, judgement or debate."
> I'm glad that he's wrong.
>
> ---- I'm surprised that Geary finds Walter's answer unsurprising. I find
> myself surprised by MOST (if not all) things most (if not all) days! Walter
> could have decided NOT to answer. _That_ surprising turn of events is yet a
> different surprise. Perhaps we require an analysis of the philosophical
> implicatures of that colloquial idiom, "Surprisingly", or as Geary uses it,
> "Not surprising".
>
> Not surprisingly, the sun raised from the east and set in the west.
>
> Not surprisingly, 2 + 2 = 4.
>
> ----
>
> On the other hand:
>
> Surprisingly, Walter replied as he did.
>
> To say:
>
> Not suprisingly, Walter replied as he did.
>
> IMPLICATES:
>
> "I knew his answer."
>
> ----
>
> It may be argued that
>
> "Not surprisingly" is a hangler adverbial sentential modifier. It is
> _Geary_ who finds himself Unsurprised. Yet, Geary is not the topic of the
> sentence: Walter's answer is.
>
> Rewrite:
>
> "Not surprisingly, I found myself knowing that Walter would say."
>
> ---- In this case, blame it on Geary?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Speranza
>
> --- signature line using 'surpris-' to be supplied by McEvoy.
> -- empathy is the wrong term. Sympathy (in Greek) is better: "co-feel".
> "Yesterday, I spent the day co-feeling my son's toothache".
>
>
>
>
>
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