4. Picture Theory of Language

Sense and nonsense

• We have to find the line between them, it is the main and only task of philosophers, we should use simple words to present your ideas

• “Everything that can be thought at all can be thought clearly. Everything that can be put into words can be put clearly.” (§4.116)

• “When the answer cannot be put into words, neither can the question be put into words. The riddle does not exist. If a question can be framed at all, it is also possible to answer it.” (§6.5)

• “What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence.” (§7)

Rudolf Carnap (1891-1970)

• The Vienna Circle: a group of early twentieth century philosophers, a part of logical empiricism (logical positivism or neopositivism)

• founder Moritz Schlick, members e.g. Otto Neurath, Rudolf Carnap, Karl Popper, Kurt Gödel, Albert Einstein etc.

• during its early years only Tractus was read, really influenced Vienna circle

• their main topic of V.C. was meaningfulness and creating the illusion of profundity

Verification principle

• verification=find out, whether the sentence is true or not

• words are meaningful only if their empirical criteria are known

Pseudo-concepts: (seems as words, but do not have meaning, they are not concepts)

• “the Idea”, “the Absolute”, “the Unconditioned”, “the Infinite”, “the being of being”, “non-being”, “thing in itself”, “absolute spirit”, “objective spirit”, “essence”, “being-in-itself”, “emanation”, “manifestation”, “articulation”, “the Ego”, “the non-Ego”, etc.

• sentences are meaningful only if their logical syntax is correct

Pseudo-statements: (includes pseudo-concepts or have defected logical syntax)

• “Caesar is a prime number.” (Rudolf Carnap)

• “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.” (Noam Chomsky)

• “More people have been to Germany than I have.” (Stephen Yablo)

• “The Nothing itself nothings.” (Martin Heidegger)

Reading: Carnap, “The Elimination of Metaphysics”, 1931

Questions:

1. What is the difference between concepts and pseudo-concepts? How did pseudo-concepts originate (p. 66)?

2. What are pseudo-statements? How are they constructed?

3. Explain what “teavy” and “toovy” means (p. 64).

Teavy =

1. Is “god” a real concept or a pseudo-concept (p. 66-67)?

2. Do you think that sometimes unintelligibility cannot be avoided?

No, it must be avoided at all times and at all costs, we have to try to be understood