'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.




Saturday, November 29, 2014

Philosophical Grammar 61


61. Every case of deriving an action from a command is the same kind of thing as the written derivation of a result.

“I write the number ‘16’ here because it says ‘x2’ there.”

It might appear that some causality was operating here, but that would be a confusion between ‘reason’ and ‘cause’.



‘every case of deriving an action from a command is the same kind of thing as the written derivation of a result’? –

this so called ‘deriving an action from a command’ –

a command is issued – and as to the action that follows –

that is a matter of interpretation – of description

and any written ‘derivation’ of a result – will be open to question – open to interpretation

‘I write the number ‘16’ here because it says ‘x2’ there’?

the ‘because’ – here  – is a result of mathematical theory –

and any review of the relevant theory will make clear that the concepts involved here are like any other concepts in any other domain – open to question

a concept of a proposal

the history of mathematics is a history of speculation –

and the power of mathematics stems from the power of uncertainty

‘it might appear that some causality was operating here, but that would be a confusion between ‘reason’ and ‘cause’’?

neither cause or reason – is operating here

what we have is speculation and decision –

open to question – open to doubt

   

© greg t. charlton. 2014.