Appendix 8: the concept "about". The problem of the "heap".

‘ “He came fro about there –.”

“About there is the brightest point of the horizon”.

“Make the plank about 2 m long”.’

‘about’ – is logically correct – and logically honest

any so called ‘precise’ measurement is a piece of rhetoric

point being any proposal of measurement – logically speaking is open to question – open to doubt – is uncertain

any ‘precise’ measurement can always be questioned

to pretend a propositional certainty is to avoid or deny the logical reality

we do just this – in any number of contexts – in order to proceed – to get on with it –

and it really is just a pretence – and an unnecessary one too –

for we can – in practise – quite easily accept the reality – the propositional reality – of uncertainty – and proceed – recognising that i.e. any proposed measurement – is open to question – open to doubt – is uncertain

and I would suggest that in fact we do this all the time

the quest for precision is best understood as an heuristic endeavour –

the goal of which is functionality

‘The indeterminacy of the word “heap”.’ –

the word ‘heap’ is a logical exemplar –

it embodies uncertainty –

any proposal – any word – is open to question – open to doubt – is uncertain

‘heap’ defeats any attempt to cover the this logical reality –

it defeats any attempt at determination

it is – logically speaking – straight up –

unpretentious

© greg t. charlton. 2015.