[lit-ideas] Re: The Life and Death of Wittgenstein
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 15 May 2009 12:05:45 EDT
In a message dated 5/15/2009 8:51:58 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
Of course we can widen the idea of "experience" further so that we do
"experience" growing hair, nails etc.
----
Quite an unfortunate example, if you ask me.
Surely Wittgenstein _grew_ hair and nails _after he died_. We don't need
witty Ayer for 'after-life' experiences.
Vendler's point is clear: With some important verbs, like 'know' we cannot
say "I am knowing" ('know' is an _achievement_ verb). What kind of
important 'event' in the life would 'death' be when the corresponding verb,
'to
die' can _only_ be used in the present continous in the first person, and then
fallaciously, "I am dying"? I must just as well believe in the _Cogito_.
Grice's example was the beheaded hen. Yes, she runs after you cut her head.
But that's 'anaphoric'.
Ditto, a plant lives. Yet, when Natasha (Richardson) was _brain-dead_ (a
silly retronym if ever there was one) her husband could not wait _one_ minute
of Aristotelian endurance. Surely the woman was, like a plant, alive. (For
Aristotle, the seat of life is the lung and chest, the thyme, not the
brain).
JLS
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