54. “Paint from memory the colour of the door of your room” is no more
unambiguous than “paint the green you see on this chart.”
I see the colour of the flower and recognize it.
Even if I say “no, this colour is brighter than the one I saw there,”
there is no process of comparing two simultaneously given shades of colour.
Think of reading aloud from a written test (or writing to dictation).
‘If I tell someone “paint from memory the colour of the door of your
room” that doesn’t settle what he is to do any more unambiguously than the
order “paint the green you see on this chart”
the point being that an appeal to memory guarantees nothing –
there are no guarantees – logically speaking – nothing is settled
‘I see the colour of the flower and I recognize it” –
‘recognition’ – is propositional
which is to say we bring propositions to bear in any act of recognition
and immediate and forceful as recognition may be –
its basis or ground is open to question –
open to doubt – uncertain
even if I say –‘no, this colour is brighter than the one I saw there’ –there
is no process of comparing two simultaneously given shades of colour?
if I am asked – ‘which is the right colour?’
I am comparing two proposals and deciding for one –
my answer is a proposal –
open to question – open to doubt –
the action here is propositional
think of reading aloud from a written test (or writing to dictation)
‘ … there’s no act of memory or anything else between the written sign
and the sound.’
reading from a written test or
writing to dictation are propositional actions
between the written sign and the
sound –
is uncertainty
© greg t. charlton. 2014.
