on certainty 486

9.4

486. “Do you know or do you only believe that your name is L.W? Is that a meaningful question?

Do you know or do you only believe that what you are writing down are German words? Do you only believe that ‘believe’ has this meaning? What meaning?

there may be a history to a name – but that is just usage – it is not authority

in so far as a claim to knowledge is a claim to authority –

one cannot know what one’s name is

do you only believe what your name is?

a name functions as a linguistic identification of an object or person –

this is a matter of convention – of usage –

epistemologically speaking any usage is uncertain

if we hold that to believe is to hold an assertion – in this case a name – as uncertain –

then yes – epistemologically speaking – the best you can say is that you believe your name is L.W.

here though with – knowing and believing – we are talking about epistemological underpinning –

epistemological description – of language use –

now in the context of On Certainty 486 – this epistemological question has been asked

that’s fair enough – but it here we are talking about a specialist context –

in normal – non-specialist contexts – it is most unlikely that such a set of questions would arise

in common practice a person gives his name – and that becomes the primary means by which he is identified

does any individual as a matter of course ask themselves the question – ‘do I know my name is L.W. or do I just believe it” –

I don’t think so

Wittgenstein asks ‘is that a meaningful question?’

for a philosopher or someone suffering a psychotic episode –

the answer could be ‘yes’

‘Do you know or do you only believe that what you are writing down are German words? Do you only believe that ‘believe’ has this meaning? What meaning?’

‘German words’ is a description of a particular language use

it’s the common description –

linguists for instance – may well have different terms for this usage

such a usage – or for that matter any usage – does not come with a description –

descriptions are made – they are added –

there is no definite description of any usage –

there is no definite usage

‘Do you only believe that ‘believe’ has this meaning? What meaning?’

to believe is to hold that an operating assertion – is uncertain – and therefore that whatever its meaning – its meaning is uncertain

so the question is –

is the belief that ‘an operating assertion is uncertain’ – uncertain?

yes – in that such a belief – is always open to question – as any genuine critical philosophical discussion of ‘believe’ or ‘uncertainty’ – will demonstrate

the question – what meaning?

                                                                                                                               

well there is no certainty here –

meaning in practice is no more than a decision of use –

the value of any proposed meaning will logically speaking always be in question –

however the fact of this uncertainty does not stop action –

it is indeed the energy of action

© greg t. charlton. 2010.