'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.




Wednesday, March 17, 2010

on certainty 348

348. Just as the words “I am here” have a meaning only in certain contexts, and not when I say them to someone who is sitting in front of me and sees me clearly, – and not because they are superfluous, but because their meaning is not determined by the situation, yet stands in need of such determination.



a sentence has a meaning – if someone has a use for it –

so an observer – if he has no use for it himself

can only ever speculate – as to meaning

others may give a sentence –

yes – the situation as such is – undetermined –

outside of any description – it is unknown

we make determination –

we give the ‘situation’ description –

in order to act – in order to proceed –

however any ‘determination’ we make –

any description we work with –

will be uncertain –

will be open to question –

open to doubt

we operate in uncertainty –

with uncertainty

© greg t. charlton. 2010.