Philosophical Grammar 50

50. “Copy” can mean various things. Various methods of comparison.

We do not understand what is meant by “this shade of colour is a copy of this note on the violin”. It makes no sense to speak of a projection-method for association.

yes – ‘copy’ can mean various things – and you can have different methods of comparison

words – i.e. – ‘copy’ and ‘comparison’ – can be seen as forms – as foci – for exploration – of meaning

circumstance – and all that that involves – will determine outcomes –

will determine how a word is used and understood

but logically speaking the matter is never fully determined

at the heart of any so called ‘knowing’ here – is what is not unknown –

and it is the unknown that is the source of possibility

we do not understand – “this shade of colour is a copy of this note on a violin’ – in a literal commonplace context

however in a poetic context – or even in a fictional – let us say science fiction context – it could well be understood –

putting it crudely – understanding is a matter of matching language and context – or context with language

the issue is not to find a perfect fit – but rather a workable one –

and whatever arrangement we might settle on –

there is always an uncertainty

it makes no sense to speak of a projection-method for association?

the idea being – we say – ‘you haven’t copied correctly’ – but not ‘you haven’t associated correctly’

there is no ‘correct’ – in a logical sense –

there is what is agreed upon – and even that is never fixed

what this amounts to – is that we can’t formulate any rules regarding meaning and understanding –

the best we can do – is observe and propose

© greg t. charlton. 2014.