on certainty 279

 279. It is quite sure that motor cars don’t grow out of the earth. We feel that if someone could believe the contrary he could believe everything that we say is untrue, and could question everything that we hold to be sure.

But how does this one belief hang together with all the rest? We should like to say that someone who would believe that does not accept our whole system of verification.

This system is something that a human being acquires by means of observation and instruction. I intentionally do not say “learns”.

this is a demand for consistency

Wittgenstein assumes beliefs ‘hang together’ –

as an empirical hypothesis and a general rule –

I think he would be disappointed –

as an imperative –

pissing in the wind

Wittgenstein’s ‘system of verification’ –

is a construction –

that suits his purposes –

it doesn’t follow that it suits any one else’s

if it does –

he’s got a friend

© greg t. charlton. 2010.