on certainty 352

352. If someone says, “I know that that’s a tree” I may answer: “Yes, that is a sentence. An English sentence. And what is it supposed to be doing?” Suppose he replies: “I just want to remind myself that I know things like that”? –

‘I know’ – is a claim to authority –

the only authority – is authorship –

if ‘I know’ is to have a logical function –

‘I know’ = ‘I am the author of’

is Wittgenstein seriously suggesting –

that you need to remind yourself –

that you are the author –

of your assertions?

© greg t. charlton. 2010.