[Wittrs] Utterances, Sentences, Propositions

[kirby urner]

On Fri, Aug 19, 2011 at 12:53 AM, Han Geurdes <han.geurdes at gmail.com> wrote:
> Kirby,
>
> I while "left behind" analytic types kept barreling ahead with mostly short
> half-life stuff
>
>Amerish?
>

"Amerish" is a term used by poet Gene Fowler for a hypothetical
language that needs to be more precise, for example, than standard
"king's English".  So it's apropos that you mention it, as I was
invoking Gene's thinking.

I don't know that he expected this term to come into wide use,
probably not.  Here's one of his on-line letters where he makes
use of the term:

http://www.gene.fowler.janecrown.com/possum3.htm

The drift of my postings here of late has been to the effect
that analytic philosophy has allowed itself to be sidelined
(as in marginalized) by relinquishing command over its
own heritage.

Minus any integrative core or curriculum switchboard
(theology used to have that role long ego, before natural
philosophy fragmented into sciences), the ability of
hyper-specialists to cope has been severely curtailed.

Physics has been trying to fill the void (I've just been
reading 'How the Hippies Saved Physics' tracing the
philosophical concerns of a fringe that fed the main
stream), with what sounds a lot like metaphysics
and philosophy (talk of consciousness etc.), but do
these physicists read Wittgenstein?

There's a lot of pseudo-empiricism linking imagined
brain functions to imagined thought processes, that's
for sure.  Again, English might be too corrupted, as a
language, to rescue itself from dark ages thinking.

Kirby


Kirby