RandomPoster
Platinum Member
- May 22, 2017
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Ludwig Wittgenstein once famously stated "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent" and I'm not exactly sure what he meant. In the past, I have seen the quote used to try and discredit and demean people who have spoken incorrectly. I personally do not interpret the quote in the same manner. I instead see the statement as a plea to encourage people to avoid engaging in pointless "deep" philosophical discussions.
For example, if I say that Abraham Lincoln was born in a particular year and turn out to be incorrect in that assertion, I can be correctly informed on the matter by a conversational partner. My point is that the conversation was not an exercise in futility. Going forward, I would have more accurate knowledge of and be able to more correctly comment on Abraham Lincoln's year of birth. My speaking up, even incorrectly, would have positive value in its result. In fact, remaining silent would have increased my likelihood of remaining misinformed on the subject and I would have been ill advised to do so.
However, if I strike up a conversation about some vague, open ended, divergent pseudo-question that not only do I have no knowledge of, except that no human being will most assuredly ever have knowledge of, I would indeed be speaking of a topic on which we should all remain silent.
For example, if I say that Abraham Lincoln was born in a particular year and turn out to be incorrect in that assertion, I can be correctly informed on the matter by a conversational partner. My point is that the conversation was not an exercise in futility. Going forward, I would have more accurate knowledge of and be able to more correctly comment on Abraham Lincoln's year of birth. My speaking up, even incorrectly, would have positive value in its result. In fact, remaining silent would have increased my likelihood of remaining misinformed on the subject and I would have been ill advised to do so.
However, if I strike up a conversation about some vague, open ended, divergent pseudo-question that not only do I have no knowledge of, except that no human being will most assuredly ever have knowledge of, I would indeed be speaking of a topic on which we should all remain silent.
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