Chris, (01)
Our basic disagreement is about the relative importance of the half
of you that is not kidding. (02)
JFS
>> [Wittgenstein's] later book was much more messy than his elegant first book.
>> But that's because the subject itself is messy. You can't do NLP
>> successfully without coming to grips with the messiness. (03)
CM
> Sure, but I seek only the sober metaphysical truth about the nature of
> the world; I care not about such messy things as NLP. ;-)
>
> Chris "only half kidding" Menzel (04)
I agree that some kind of pure metaphysical truth might be discovered
that could not be explained to the great unwashed. (05)
As an example, consider the esoteric theories of modern physics,
which require very high-powered math. But even the few who get to
that level start by learning from people and books that use ordinary
NLs to explain each step along the way. And when they talk about
those theories on the phone, they use their native language. (06)
What is truly amazing is the flexibility of the NLs they use.
The basic syntax and vocabulary were invented by our stone-age
ancestors. Yet we can adapt that language to express any subject,
no matter how esoteric it may be. (07)
For another example, consider the 900 million people around the world
who update their Facebook page with their cell phones. They're using
the same languages their parents spoke 40 years ago, when computer
systems were just evolving from punched cards to green screens. (08)
A theory of language based on the Tractatus could never accommodate
both the flexibility *and* the level of precision needed for modern
physics (or metaphysics or Facebook...). (09)
But a theory of language based on LW's later philosophy could. (010)
John (011)
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