[Wittrs] Private Language Argument
- From: brendan downs <downs_brendan@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: wittrs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:55:48 +1000
If we follow arguments from the 3 great Empiricists Locke-(ideaism),
Berekely-(Idealism) and Hume(solipism) we arrive at the private language
argument i.e In order to tell if someone understands a word or phrase, one
looks to behaviour. If someone were to behave as if they understood a language
which no-one else can make sense of, we might call this an example of a private
language. From the position of solipism(The only mind that exists is my own) I
can only assert that others have a mind by looking to ones behaviour, as in
they show intelligent behaviour i.e behave as they understand a language. This
is an argument by analogy, I compare my behavior to someone else. This is not a
deductive or inductive argument but an argument that takes the form "inference
to the best explanation". From an IBE no premise can be asserted to be true or
false because only propositions have the property of being true or false,
explaintions can only be good or bad. So it makes no sense to assert
that private argument is either true or false.
Brendan
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