[lit-ideas] Re: The Life and Death of Wittgenstein

  • From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 15 May 2009 18:43:10 EDT

In a message dated 5/14/2009 7:25:27 A.M.  Eastern Daylight Time, 
donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
[Btw, W said afair  that "Death is not an event in life" - see entry in 
Root's Phil Dict:-  "Death:
---

I'd add a reference:

Grice, "Vacuous  Names".

Basically, Grice's argument --

his example (WOW, p.  9):

"Heidegger is the greatest living  philosopher"

(uttered in 1967)

becomes _falsified_ once Heidegger  dies. 

"'Heidegger' becomes a _vacuous name_, like Pegaus".

I  disagree. The thing is complex and necessitates some knowledge of 
Aristotelian  philosphy of 'life'.

A 'person' is a living _being_. It's not just the  atoms. Literally, rough 
people say (but not McEvoy who writes, "said") things  like

"Wittgenstein writes that death is not an event of  life"

Surely he cannot write that, since he is dead.
"wrote" is the  correct English.

"Wittgenstein" became, as an Aristotelian hylemorphic  unity, vacuous on 29 
April 1951 (as it was vacuous before 26 April  1889).

The fact that he was buried (cfr. 'cremation') makes no  difference. His 
_corpse_ is no longer a 'being' in Aristotelian parlance ("De  generatione ed 
corruptione" aplty translated into English as 'on coming to be  and ceasing 
to be').

Cheers,

JL




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