[lit-ideas] See How High The Seas Of Language Run Here!
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2013 01:17:49 -0500 (EST)
In a message dated 1/16/2013 3:36:05 A.M. UTC-02, rpaul@xxxxxxxx writes:
However, '(See how HIGH the seas of language RUN here! [emphasis mine --
Speranza])' occurs in §194
of the Philosophical Investigations.
KRIPKE:
"See
how HIGH the seas of language CAN RISE. And at the LOWEST points,
too."
---
BEAUTIFUL.
Oddly, Grice, who was a seaman (of sorts) would refer to the berths --
especially the shallow ones.
The source here is interesting enough and the keyword:
the 'deep berths' of language
KEYWORD: deep berths
Quote, from:
Grice, H. P.
"Philosophy at Oxford 1945-1970",
in The Grice Papers, BANC MSS 90/135c.
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Grice is attempting to reconcile the Oxford 'school' of philosophy (as he
never named it) with Aristotle's idea that philosophy is about the nature of
things (to use the title of a book by Lord Quinton) , rather than
language.
Grice proposes to adopt the _hypothesis_ that OPINION (Greek 'doxa') is
generally reflected in language ("ta legomena").
But this is done at different 'levels' (Grice's word), representing
different degrees of commitment.
Some aspects of 'knowledge' receive the DEEPEST levels of embedding within
(even) SYNTAX -- in Hopi, English, or whatever. Note that a child is said
to have learned a lingo when he can handle (metaphorically) the syntax,
never the lexicon.
It is these aspects of knowledge which reside in what Grice describes,
indeed, as
'the DEEP BERTHS of language.
It is not possible, Grice suggests, for an utterer to use a language such
as English WITHOUT BEING committed to (or anchored in) these 'deep berths'
of language.
Further, Grice's point is that, as every sailor knows, the DEEPEST levels
are always at a premium.
So, it is in the interests of utterers (within population speaking Lingo L)
to RESERVE these deepest levels (the "deep berths" of language), naturally
enough, to their deepest commitments.
as when we say,
"God exists" -- with a very peculiar grammar unknown to Greek -- "Theos
esti". Or compare the even more complex syntax as per the American motto:
"In God we trust".
The subject, "we", does not open the question. This is a deep commitment.
Note, too, that nobody asked you in whom you trust, so the motto is
volunteered (similarly Tertulian: "I believe in it, because it is absurd").
----
Other people, Grice notes, MIGHT challenge this, but it would DANGEROUS to
do so.
If we subscribe to this account, we might be tempted to argue that the
so-called 'first principles' (alla Aristotle, or Kantotle, as Grice prefers) of
'knowledge' (as it were) are to be found in the deep
categorial, syntactic even, structure of this or that lingo, rather than,
say, in the VOCABULARY of a given language ("is" as categorial: "izz" and
"hazz" as its representations).
Grice writes:
"[H]ow we talk OUGHT [emphasis Grice's -- in his usual underlining]
to reflect our most solid, cherished and generally accepted
opinions"
as when we say,
"I love you".
In his discussion, he distinguishes then what is presented as
'uncontroversial', say, and what is, rather, available for 'denial'.
Grice is interested in the ways in which different syntactic devices are
available for conveying 'information' (or 'knowledge', if you mustn't) and
bring with them different 'existential' or 'ontological' commitment.
And so on.
"Actually sentences like 'Socrates is called "Socrates"'
are very interesting and one can spend, strange
as it may seem, hours talking
about their analysis. I actually
did, once, do that. I won't do that,
however, on this occasion. (See
how high the seas of language can
rise. And at the lowest points,
too.)"
Echoing Witters.
Grice is better of a sailor than both Witters and Kripke (he sailed for
the Admiralty during the "Phony" war) and trust to sail straight through the
deepest berths, and avoid the 'lowest points'.
navigare necesse est vivere non est necesse
to sail is necessary; to live is not necessary
Attributed by Plutarch to Gnaeus Pompeius, who, during a severe storm,
commanded sailors to bring food from Africa to Rome.
Cheers,
Speranza
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