'For the person or persons that hold dominion, can no more combine with the keeping up of majesty the running with harlots drunk or naked about the streets, or the performances of a stage player, or the open violation or contempt of laws passed by themselves than they can combine existence with non-existence'.

- Benedict de Spinoza. Political Treatise. 1677.




Monday, June 29, 2009

on certainty 45


45. We got to know the nature of calculating by learning to calculate.



we learn by doing –

but we don’t get to know the nature of anything –

if by ‘know’ you mean – know with certainty

yes – we may develop – explanations – descriptions –

of what it is we do –

but there is no one account-

what we have is possible accounts –

and the value of any account –

is that it is useful to us – at the time –

in the circumstances that we do –what we do

point  being –

another account may be useful to us –

under different circumstances

I find it quite extraordinary –

that Wittgenstein – didn’t see this –

but I guess if he had –

he wouldn’t have written a book –

on certainty


© greg t. charlton. 2009.