'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.




Monday, November 17, 2014

Philosophical Grammar 46


46. Does our language consist of primary signs (gestures) and secondary signs (words)?

Obviously we would not be able to replace an ordinary sentence by gestures.

“It is an accident that in order to define signs I have to go outside the written and spoken signs?” In that case isn’t it strange that I can do anything at all with signs?



gestures – primary – words – secondary?

this is an empirical question of use

replacing ordinary sentences with gestures?

again an empirical question

any definition verbal or not – is a proposal –

a proposition



© greg t. charlton. 2014.