Questions tagged [language]
The language tag has no usage guidance.
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Can we reduce Wittgenstein's claims of human language being limited by some actual propositions about the limits of language?
Wittgenstein argued that there are limits to what language can do, and that our attempts to use language to describe the world can sometimes lead us into confusion and error. He believed that many ...
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52
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Who was the German philosopher who said that 'German' language is superior?
I can't remember exactly where I read it, but I think in a Chomsky's essay, book, or probably a video and remember saying something about a German philosopher who claimed that German language is ...
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Can you be objectively offended?
Example:
Person A is talking to person B and uses a phrase that B is offended by. Person A is unapologetic because they personally don't take offense to that phrase and feel taking offense to it is ...
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Can realism exist? Could somebody make “real-” into an ideology?
[Please bear in mind that I may use different definitions of terms here, than you might know, since I’m a layman/hobbyist. Suggesting other terms for those definitions, that are established in the ...
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Censorship: Why should a word be censored when it is being discussed?
Preamble
When dealing with matters of such a sensitive nature, it seems sensible to begin with a clarifying statement to ensure the question is not mistakenly imbued with any malicious intent.
Racism ...
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Can formal languages have verbs?
Perhaps stupid question but I ask nonetheless.
The question: Can Formal languages have a concept of a verb? If never, why can't they?
Context: In natural language, we have verbs to describe action. In ...
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What are the reasons some thoughts cannot be simplified, reduced to a simpler set or phrases?
What are the reasons some thoughts cannot be simplified, reduced to a simpler set or phrases? When reading Heidegger or Hegel, one wonders why those authors couldn't simplify their tangled web of ...
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Difference between morals and morality
I was wondering whether there is any difference between the terms morals and morality.
I have encountered these terms on this site, and wonder whether there is any difference.
Thanks.
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Types of mathematical questions? [closed]
Are there any other kinds of mathematical questions people ask besides the following?
Requests for results
Requests for proofs/justification
Requests for illustrations or other aids to the intuition
...
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Is human language system static or dynamic?
I mean, is human language in flux like everything exists in this world? It's actually argument of Heraclitus which says that everything is in flux or change but Language is fixed system so the faulty ...
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Is it correct to say that "we did not assume that a or b is positive." is equivalent to "we did not assume that a and b are both positive"? [closed]
Given a is a real number.
We did not assume that a is positive.
For me, that sentence means either a is positive or a is not positive.
But given a and b are real numbers.
I read a sentence that &...
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In how far is language involved in the world of ideas? [closed]
Language is a means to express ideas or emotions. It sets them free from the world in which they roam, i.e. our brain between our ears, inside our skulls.
It could work the other way too. Language ...
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58
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Future tense explanations?
Is it possible to explain in the future tense? For example, "there will be smoke" because "there will be fire"?
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How is it possible to explain a logical language through a natural one?
Suppose we are to learn a subject like mathematics, then for it's precision and rigor, the topics discussed are described in terms of theories of logic. Suppose a student wishes to learn mathematics, ...
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A statement that is always true, but not a tautology?
Given I hand in a manuscript and the comment of the reviewer would be "You did not take in consideration to potential influence of this variable" the reviewer would be correct. However, my ...
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What's with philosophers and their use of quotation marks?
I'm reading Hofstadter and Quine at the same time and this is deep.
An explanation:
The logician's use of "quotations" in sentences like this one would suggest that a quoted phrase is ...
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Didn’t Turing simply expand the space of algorithmic problems?
Code breaking brings the realization that, for the other side to generate their code (used my multiple people, not a private language), there must be an “algorithm”.
Jacquard machines, analog Pong, ...
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Assumed Disagreement
Two people are talking. One makes a claim "These chips are stale". Other replies "C'mon, buddy, those chips are as stale as mummy wrappings from a Pharoah's tomb".
Aside from ...
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Is abstraction always mind-dependent?
Else said, are there any physical mind-independent objects which are abstractions of other ones?
I’m using mind-independent and mind-dependent like Searle. Things like syntax, language, and ...
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How understand abstraction when some cases can’t be abstracted?
Like the liar sentence “this sentence is false” is said not to be a proposition.
So not all sentences can be abstracted into props. Can infinite sentences be abstracted into propositions. Can infinite ...
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Do we need to ask 'why' if we have the answer to 'how'?
On the surface, ‘how?' is mechanical, it is asking about method, whereas ‘why?’ is more philosophical, it is asking about purpose. It seems conceivable, then, that the answers to the questions of 'how?...
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What is the correct Wittgenstein analysis of this claim?
So I'm confused by the following. Let's say someone makes the claim:
Math is also a language game.
I can imagine 2 different kind of responses Wittgenstein might say:
Indeed, it suffices to only ...
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Is it the fact that we have language that causes us to believe in possible worlds?
I am not quite sure whether this belongs in Philosophy SE, but I couldn't think of a better SE, so I am posting it here. My question is, is it the fact that we have language that causes us to believe ...
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What is the view of the origin of language according to contemporary philosophy of language?
Do we think in the language we speak? If we didn't know any language or think of a child for an instant, perhaps a newborn, is there still thinking? and if so, is it a universal language? Some say we ...
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The difference between 'why' and 'how'
I have noticed for a long time that, to ask 'why', can often prompt answers of different types, that either describe the events, or attribute meaning. An example would be:
Why are the pliers on this ...
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How would you answer when tasked with the estimation of a person's intelligence? [closed]
"She is so intelligent, right?"
Well, to agree with such a statement, we would need to have a mutual understanding of intelligence, which we probably don't, since there are many different ...
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134
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Is there an alternative to infinity?
We can say that a discrete set with 1 and 2 allows us to count just from 1 to 2 but a sequential set with 1 and 2 allows us to count from 1 to 2 in an infinite way (1.1, 1.2, 1.3 ...) but no man can ...
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What constitutes the "state" of a tree?
If a tree were to be cut down and turned into a couple of wooden logs, informally one can say referring to the logs that the logs are the current state of the tree. But how true is this ? Shouldn't ...
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Is everything understood (semantics) within a language and is perception the first language?
And are all languages (math, set theory, whistling, English, Chinese, etc) somewhat inter-translatable? I'm sorry for the broad/overreaching question.
Is this something some philosophers agree on, ...
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Is 'I'm not in love with you' a performative action?
Is 'I'm not in love with you' a performative action?
These statements, just by speaking them, carry out a certain action
and exhibit a certain level of power
I seem to have a huge problem getting ...
user56815
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Are there thoughts that cannot be put into words?
This question came to me thinking about the notion of computation. I was thinking whether we can extend the notion of tape symbol from something that can be printed on a block of space, to something ...
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Are contradictory propositions in the propositional logic still contradictory in the predicate logic?
There is one seeming issue I happened upon that bothers me to no end.
Take a proposition like “Snow is white”. “Snow is white” and its negation “Snow is not white” are obviously contradictory. However,...
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What is the logical function of “and/or”?
In natural language, we often use an enumeration or list of things with only a single logical operator. I am especially puzzled by the use of "and/or" and what it is supposed to mean in this ...
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Is there a conflict between self-reference and ontology? (In relation to mathematics)
I am a total layman when it comes to math, but I promise at least to clearly spell out my thought process.
Some like Elaine Landry say "mathematics is not metaphysics" https://youtu.be/...
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Technically, is it wrong to say “food sounds tasty”? [closed]
I think it’s like saying “food smells green.” Smell and taste are different things, so I think statements like “food sounds crispy” or “food tastes salty” are correct expressions, but “food sounds ...
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Why does language get more objective while growing older? [closed]
It's my experience that language gets more objective the older one gets. For example, instead of "talking" one uses the expression "vocalize" or instead of saying "I'm happy&...
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Expanding the definition of "Pilgrimage"
According to Wikipedia, the definition of "Pilgrimage":
"Is a journey often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, ...
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Why is it always wrong to spell out the n-word?
Many news outlets never ever spell out the n-word, even when discussing the word or quoting someone.
I'm wondering what's the reasoning for doing so.
To clarify: I fully understand why it is wrong to ...
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Is it useful to be able to define complex words with many definitions?
Greetings fellow earth dwellers. Definitions...useful, sharp, often-times dust clearing, so to speak. But as one progresses into intellectual conversations, definitions aren't so clear and can be ...
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What is meant by 'interdiscursivity' in discursive practice by Fairclough?
I am conducting a Critical Discourse Analysis on Chinese newspapers, such as the Global Times, to investigate how ethnicity became a securitized threat in the media.
However, Fairclough's second ...
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Is order (first, second, etc) a quality?
No. Quantity is independent of quality. The number of items is not an
attribute of an item.
I’m really sorry, but I only got an answer about quantity from the other stackexchanges. I really want to ...
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Do the words "in relation to" imply relativism?
Do the words "in relation to" imply any relativism? For example: "The earth is small in relation to the Sun", or "I am good in relation to mathematics", or "He is ...
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Are dichotomies that refer to real constructs incorrect? from Sorites paradox
The well known paradoxes that arise from defining terms with a strict binary classifications, such as the Sorites paradox (heap/not heap), show the absurdities resulting from a strict seperation ...
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What is Ruloff's theory on the origin of language? [closed]
The largest recorded brain in the U.S is said to belong to one Edward H. Rulloff.
This guy wrote a book on his theory of the origin of languages shortly before his execution.
What was his theory? Is ...
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Are figures of speech true and false?
I'm thinking about Gilbert Ryle, who I believe analyses category mistakes as figures of speech. An example like
the teeth of crows are pearly white
seems neither true nor false. But what about
this ...
user47711
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What is the distinction between A-intension and C-intension?
I'm having a really hard time understanding a concept discussed in “Qualia and Analytic Conditionals” by Braddon-Mitchell and "Why We Need A-Intensions" by Jackson. Here's my extraction of these ...
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Gutenberg technology effects on human psyche
McLuhan is claiming that Gutenberg technology was the reason of human psyche fragmentation, primitivism and social conformism. I am trying to find links between Gutenberg technology and the phenomenon ...
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Does a formal fallacy definition for "X has not happened (with potential time constraint Y), so Z will not happen (now or in near future)" exist?
Does there exist a formal definition for (what I would say is) a logically fallacy that would fit to the following structure of statements:
"X has not happened (with potential time constraint Y), so ...
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Wittgenstein and "linguistic trap"
In a book on philosophy I've lost by now I encounter an argument about "linguistic trap" idea attributed to Wittgenstein, that is, such a trap is supposed to be "taking linguistic convention or ...
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How can language be objective, when it depends on subjectivities?
Language is a set of circular references. Not only french or english, but all languages. And not only spoken languages, but all languages, including programming languages and... mathematics (math is ...
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