92. The symptoms of expectation are not the expression of expectation.
In the sentence “I expect he is coming” is one using the words “he is
coming” in a different sense from the one they have in the assertion “he is
coming”?
What makes it the expectation precisely of him.
Various definitions of “expecting a person X”.
It isn’t a latter experience that decides what we are expecting.
“Let us put the expression of expectation in place of the expectation.”
‘The symptoms of expectation are not the expression of expectation’?
the symptoms – or statements of symptoms – descriptions that is –
proposals –
may well be regarded as expressions of expectation
an expectation is a proposal – and if I make the proposal I may observe
and characterize – what I describe as symptoms –
‘symptoms’ of the proposal – descriptions
of the proposals
others may also observe and describe what they observe as ‘symptoms of
expectation’
‘In the sentence “I expect he is coming” is one using the words “he is
coming” in a different sense from the one they have in the assertion “he is
coming”?’ –
‘I expect he is coming’ – is a proposal for a state of affairs
‘he is coming’ – it would seem is a proposal – asserting a state of
affairs
‘What makes it the expectation precisely of him?’ –
the only precision is descriptive –
that is how I describe ‘him’ to myself or others
and any such description – is open to question – to doubt – uncertain
‘It isn’t a latter experience that decides what we are expecting’?
a latter description may prove less contentious than the original or
first description
and it could be that he turns up – and we say – he looks nothing like
what I thought he would – but it is him
at any point in any descriptive process – we may review or change a
description
in a final sense – any description is uncertain –
and indeed – the proposal of ‘him’ – like any other proposal – is open
to question – open to doubt –
there is no certainty in any ‘experiential’ proposal
“Let us put the expression of expectation in place of the expectation.”
an expectation – is a proposal –
you might object and say what we are talking about here is physical –
biological – chemical neurological etc.
yes – you may account for the proposal ‘expectation’ – in other terms –
that is through putting forward other
proposals –
any account – in any terms – interesting as it may be useful as it may
be –
is like any proposal – open to question – to doubt – uncertain
© greg t. charlton. 2014.
