Notes on Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein
Here it is in German, with an alternate English translation: "Was Tarquinius Superbus in seinem Garten mit den Mohnkopfen sprach, verstand der Sohn, aber nicht der Bote."
"What Tarquinius Superbus said in the garden by means of the poppies, the son understood but the messenger did not."
And here is Wittgenstein from Lectures on Religious Belief: "Suppose someone were a believer and said: "I believe in a Last Judgement," and I said: "Well, I'm not so sure. Possibly." You would say that there is an enormous gulf between us. If he said "There is a German aeroplane overhead," and I said "Possibly I'm not so sure," you'd say we were fairly near." (53)
As I have said before, what I am doing here is looking at the many different ways that the word-concept "believe" can move within varying language-games, and how these movements relate to one another, and what the consequences of misuse and misidentifications of these movments are. Fear and Trembling can be used to show the fissure between at least two different language-games that make a different use of the word-concept "believe" and that may, according to Johannes de Silentio, be so radically different that it is utterly impossible for one use to be understandable to another. In a way, it is as if two mutually exclusive concepts are being invoked by the same 'arbitrary sign'. But, pragmatically speaking, this is not true.
On the other hand, I hope to show through Fear and Trembling that ordinary people in ordinary language-games (i.e., not philosophers) are constantly misusing the word-concept "believe". They think that they're talking about that is or at least resembles faith, but they're behaving as if they're talking about whether or not it is raining outside, or whether or not they believe that Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo. Or, to use Wittgenstein's example, they're talking about the Last Judgment as if it were a German plane overhead. (I need to resist saying, "They treat it as if it were a fact in the world.")
From Hong and Hong's translation: "Abraham remains silent - but he cannot
speak. Therein lies the distress and anxiety. Even though I go on nightb and day without interruption, if I cannot make myself understood when I speak, than I am not speaking." (113)
[Working definition: A word-concept is an application of a concept within a particular language-game or a set of language-games.]
"What Tarquinius Superbus said in the garden by means of the poppies, the son understood but the messenger did not."
And here is Wittgenstein from Lectures on Religious Belief: "Suppose someone were a believer and said: "I believe in a Last Judgement," and I said: "Well, I'm not so sure. Possibly." You would say that there is an enormous gulf between us. If he said "There is a German aeroplane overhead," and I said "Possibly I'm not so sure," you'd say we were fairly near." (53)
As I have said before, what I am doing here is looking at the many different ways that the word-concept "believe" can move within varying language-games, and how these movements relate to one another, and what the consequences of misuse and misidentifications of these movments are. Fear and Trembling can be used to show the fissure between at least two different language-games that make a different use of the word-concept "believe" and that may, according to Johannes de Silentio, be so radically different that it is utterly impossible for one use to be understandable to another. In a way, it is as if two mutually exclusive concepts are being invoked by the same 'arbitrary sign'. But, pragmatically speaking, this is not true.
On the other hand, I hope to show through Fear and Trembling that ordinary people in ordinary language-games (i.e., not philosophers) are constantly misusing the word-concept "believe". They think that they're talking about that is or at least resembles faith, but they're behaving as if they're talking about whether or not it is raining outside, or whether or not they believe that Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo. Or, to use Wittgenstein's example, they're talking about the Last Judgment as if it were a German plane overhead. (I need to resist saying, "They treat it as if it were a fact in the world.")
From Hong and Hong's translation: "Abraham remains silent - but he cannot
speak. Therein lies the distress and anxiety. Even though I go on nightb and day without interruption, if I cannot make myself understood when I speak, than I am not speaking." (113)
[Working definition: A word-concept is an application of a concept within a particular language-game or a set of language-games.]
posted by Joel | 11:22 AM
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