83. It looks as if we could say: Word-language allows of senseless
combinations of words, but the language of imagining does not allow us to
imagine anything senseless.
“Can you imagine it being otherwise?” How strange that one should be
able to say that such and such a state of affairs is inconceivable!
word-language allows combinations of words –
however you can’t presume that
any combination will or will not make sense –
a ‘combination of words’ is sensible – if it makes sense (whatever that
is to be) to someone
and a ‘combination of words’ is ‘senseless’ – again – whatever that
amounts to – if it makes no sense to someone
and who can say what will happen – how a combination of words will be
received?
the best we can do is observe and question
and interesting as any account of sense – any theory of sense – might be
–
here we never leave the realm of speculation
can you imagine otherwise?
‘Is what you affirm meant to be an empirical proposition? Can you
conceive (imagine) it being otherwise?
a proposition – is a proposal – open to question – open to doubt –
uncertain –
it is the logical space for imagining otherwise
and philosophers through the ages have given some very different
interpretations of propositions
Leibnitz – for one – regarded all propositions as necessary
the language of imagining does not allow us to imagine anything
senseless?
if I imagine a state of
affairs – it makes sense to me –
‘how strange that one should be able to say that such and such a state
of affairs is inconceivable!’?
if I conceive of such and such a state of affairs – then it is
conceivable
a state of affairs may well be conceivable and make sense to me –
nevertheless what is conceivable and what makes sense – is open to
question –
open to doubt – is uncertain
© greg t. charlton. 2014.
