424. I say “I know p” either to assure
people that I, too, know the truth p, or simply as an emphasis of |-p. One says, too, “I don’t believe I know it”. And one might also put it like
this (for example) “That’s a tree. And that’s not just surmise.”
But what about this: “If I were to tell
someone that that was a tree, that wouldn’t be just surmise.” Isn’t this what Moore was trying to
say?
yes – it could well be –
but the point is this –
stating that a proposition is not a surmise
–
doesn’t make it any less a surmise
I think Moore wanted
certainty –
and in the end came to the view –
that all he had to do was assert it –
and he managed to con a number of other
idiots –
into sharing his delusion
© greg t. charlton. 2010.
