[lit-ideas] Re: Socialist Beliefs
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 08:46:45 -0400 (EDT)
In a message dated 7/17/2013 5:41:43 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
But in the case of certain kinds of metaphysical belief (and most beliefs
are 'metaphysical' rather than 'scientific') there is that strange way a
mind can hold to these 'intellectually' while living seemingly otherwise - we
might think of the Idealist philosopher who goes home to his wife and
children and pays his mortgage etc. and behaves for all the world as if this
is
all real and not simply a figment of his imagination.
One slight problem here is the very definition of 'belief'. For a
functionalist, like I am, a 'belief' (or 'desire', for that reason) translates
as a
'function' (hence the term, 'functioanlism') between input (i) and output
(o). The input is the sensory experience of the agent to whom a belief or a
desire is ascribed. The output is the 'behavioural' traits he manifests.
Any theory other than functionalism finds itself with problems like those
proposed by McEvoy above -- but not a functionalist. And a functionalist can
easily account for 'self-deception' -- the pet area of functionalist D. F.
Pears, the once Oxonian, later Wittgensteinian philosopher, in a number of
essays along the ways.
It's easy enough when one speaks, as Grice and Pears do, on one's beliefs
and one's behaviour. It is MUCH MORE difficult, as Witters, and Wisdom* do,
when we speak of other people's beliefs (or "minds", as Wisdom prefers) and
action.
Cheers,
Speranza
Geary: "I've always believed in socialism, of course, but now I'm a real
live rooting-tooting socialist."
I.e. Geary had beliefs in socialism, or beliefs that stated that socialism
was true, or valid, or beliefs that saw socialism as a good option -- but
he was not 'practising' then (cfr. "Are you a practising lesbian?" "Huh? I
didn't know you had to practice to be one?"). True, Geary's wording is
subtle. He is opposing a theoretical belief in socialism with a 'real live
rooting-tooting socialist' identity (that translates in _being_ a socialist).
Perhaps we could re-phrase, "I wasn't a socialist then -- although I always
believed in socialism -- but I am a socialist now, and a real live
rooting-tooting one, at that").
Or something.
Refs.:
Wisdom:
Arthur John Terence Dibben Wisdom (John Wisdom; 12 September 1904, Leyton,
Essex – 9 December 1993, Cambridge) was a leading British philosopher
considered to be an ordinary language philosopher, a philosopher of mind and a
metaphysician. He was influenced by G.E. Moore, Ludwig Wittgenstein and
Sigmund Freud, and in turn explained and extended their work.
He is not to be confused with his cousin, fellow philosopher John Oulton
Wisdom, 1908-1993, who shared his interest in psychoanalysis.
Before the posthumous publication of the Philosophical Investigations in
1953 Wisdom's writing was one of the few published sources of information
about Wittgenstein's later philosophy.
His article Philosophical Perplexity has been described as ‘something of a
landmark in the history philosophy’ being ‘the first which throughout
embodied the new philosophical outlook’.
According to David Pole "in some directions at least Wisdom carries
Wittgenstein's work further than he himself did, and faces its consequences
more
explicitly."
Wisdom was for most of his career at Trinity College, Cambridge, and became
Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge University. Near the end of his
career he was Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oregon. He was
president of the Aristotelian Society from 1950 to 1951.
His famous "Parable of the Invisible Gardener" is a dialectic on the
existence or absence of God.
He was cremated and his ashes were buried at the Parish of the Ascension
Burial Ground in Cambridge.
Major Writings:
Interpretation and Analysis. (1931)
Problems of Mind and Matter. (1934)
"Philosophical Perplexity". Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society,
1936-37.
Other Minds. (1952)
Philosophy & PsychoAnalysis. (1953)
Paradox and Discovery. (1965)
Proof and Explanation (The Virginia Lectures 1957). (1991)
Quote:
“ If I were asked to answer, in one sentence, the question 'What was
Wittgenstein's biggest contribution to philosophy', I should answer 'His asking
of the question "Can one play chess without the Queen"'.[5] ”
References
p.447 Passmore-A Hundred Years of Philosophy Duckworth-London 1956
See review Can You Play Chess without the Queen by John Holloway- The
Hudson Review > Vol. 6, No. 4, Winter, 1954
p173 J O Urmson- Philosophical Analysis- Oxford 1960
p.103 David Pole- The Later Philosophy of Wittgenstein- Athlone Press,
London 1958
Paradox and Discovery p.88
This biography of a British philosopher is a stub. You can help Wikipedia
by expanding it.
------------------------------------------------------------------
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:
