Dear Tom, How get people this conviction about 'essential'',
''original'' and other ''properties'' of objects? The most are not
familiar with Greek believes which are ''transfered'' by education
to the next generations. Think of Greek ''metal analogy'' by
describing persons; ''iron strong'', ''honest as gold'', etc. In
social science one was looking for the ''original
meaning of words''. to explain their ''real meaning'' . Your
examples testify of the ''opposite meanings'' of ''terms''. Hegel
was master in the ''opposites''. Each term has its opposite
while opposites have their own opposites.
He constructed an labyrinth of words and was not able to find
the way out. So he ''solved'' the problem by invention of
''unity of opposites'' like the unity of the contradictory. But, alas,
words are not linguistic entities which can be true or false. Those
are statements, sentences or propositions (choose your own).
Kant and Hegel never grasped that they are talking about language
not about reality. That is why they were obsessed with ''meanings''
thinking that those ''explain reality''. But what kind of things are
meanings? The so called ''theory of meaning'' has lost the battle
with ''Theory of reference'' . Reference , uh, refer to external
objects in the reality. That is the connection with language.
Japan was so successful because they improved the ''original
products'' from the West . Why are Americans so obsessed
with ''original parts''?
Why so many in our forum think that there are ''essential '' and
other ''not essential parts'' by each composed thing from parts ?
This is because of Aristoteles influence in the Western education.
His ''authority'' ruled for 2000 years in Europe. Some social
scientist still search for ''essential things''. They are also talking
about the meaning of terms.
''original'' and other ''properties'' of objects? The most are not
familiar with Greek believes which are ''transfered'' by education
to the next generations. Think of Greek ''metal analogy'' by
describing persons; ''iron strong'', ''honest as gold'', etc. In
social science one was looking for the ''original
meaning of words''. to explain their ''real meaning'' . Your
examples testify of the ''opposite meanings'' of ''terms''. Hegel
was master in the ''opposites''. Each term has its opposite
while opposites have their own opposites.
He constructed an labyrinth of words and was not able to find
the way out. So he ''solved'' the problem by invention of
''unity of opposites'' like the unity of the contradictory. But, alas,
words are not linguistic entities which can be true or false. Those
are statements, sentences or propositions (choose your own).
Kant and Hegel never grasped that they are talking about language
not about reality. That is why they were obsessed with ''meanings''
thinking that those ''explain reality''. But what kind of things are
meanings? The so called ''theory of meaning'' has lost the battle
with ''Theory of reference'' . Reference , uh, refer to external
objects in the reality. That is the connection with language.
Japan was so successful because they improved the ''original
products'' from the West . Why are Americans so obsessed
with ''original parts''?
Why so many in our forum think that there are ''essential '' and
other ''not essential parts'' by each composed thing from parts ?
This is because of Aristoteles influence in the Western education.
His ''authority'' ruled for 2000 years in Europe. Some social
scientist still search for ''essential things''. They are also talking
about the meaning of terms.