Noble Dust

Again, it was just a nit-pick about "nailing down terminology", and it may be tangential to the thread. But I was just questioning your admonishment t...

So are you saying I specifically did that, or are you using my joke in that context to illustrate your point? Fine if so, but you'd need to elaborate ...

I appreciate your Wittgensteinian brevity, but your meaning would be more clear if you actually used more words. (Or should I say your "use"?)

Also, not to nitpick, but just in good faith, how accurately can we do this? Is this a deal-breaker? I could take the entire following paragraph that ...

Eh? (Use your words! As my mother used to say). To acknowledgement of another person, as I already said.

Fine, I can go with that (tentatively), but then the question of the OP becomes: "Is the meaning of sentences prior to language?" We still haven't pro...

That said, "Hello" also refers in a context of culture. So, in a way, all language refers within it's expected context. The only way a word wouldn't r...

Ok, yes, I agree with you here, but again, I never meant to say that referent equals meaning. Maybe I phrased something badly? (If I did, what is that...

Right, I don't think I was saying that meaning equals reference. It seems that you and Banno might be moving the goal posts here? My main argument is ...

Again, I'm not un-fond of Wittgenstein. But I don't fully buy his ideas. But I'm probably less educated than you on language. I'm working through my i...

I think I can see it from your view. But I still disagree. Do you disagree that every word has a referent? If a word has no referent, it tends to die ...

What does "...unless" reference in that sentence? Are you assuming that my argument is invalid "...unless"? As far as what meaning means, that's the b...

This is fairly well what I was arguing, Banno. Agreed.

Not to be a broken record, but, as I mentioned in my first post in this thread, the fact that the meanings of words change over time is key in this di...

Here:

I don't think words representing what we mean is equal to statements being the whole of language. If you're talking about "the whole of language", how...

I've read some of Investigations, but these days I'm not so into it. I was asking for your thoughts, not reading recs.

Can you elaborate? I disagree; I say language is what we do with meaning.

Right. So how is meaning an action?

I was thinking of number as a concept; quantity, not number(s). So Counting and language would be the action, meaning and "number" are the catalyst of...

Wouldn't the proper analogy here be "Is number prior to counting"?

Prior is a tricky word, but I would argue that meaning is "inside" or "the driver of" language. The meanings of words change, which I think is evidenc...

Ambient anathema: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoU5kdkQw3A

I know many "fervent atheists" who are "determined to save their societies". I don't agree with them, but I respect their fervor, and find it lacking ...

Most major religions have always had an ascetic component, practiced to varying degrees. I personally have trouble with both concepts; I see value in ...

Out Of all the new atheists, he probably annoys me the least. I appreciate that he practices meditation, that he doesnt seem to have much of an ego, a...

Obviously the simple fact is that fictional characters are not real physical people. But the ideas that fictional characters express, and the way an a...

For me: Notes From Underground by Dostoesvky. I was a clueless, impressionable college freshman when I read this in Honors English. It seriously fucke...

No, John said: Which I'm agreeing with.

John said "being equal before God", which is what I was referencing.

I get the sense of that, but how does this apply to a law that's assumed to be divine? A law that's not necessarily true, but is useful, is, necessari...

Yes.

Why do theists exist? Why do they claim the higher rational ground? Emotional bias. Same as the atheists. But, per theists, also historical etymology ...

Nothing is simple lack: "Do you have two dollars on you?" "No, I don't." To say that nothing is a subset of everything is to ignore the context of the...

Sorry if my comment sounded dismissive, but I was commenting on the specific post of yours before mine; saying things like "we're all Frodo Baggins if...

Are you making an argument? I honestly can't tell.

It corresponded to your phrase "what people are". I'm not sure I buy this notion. So it's common; so what? Defined in what way? Sometimes actions aren...

How does that work?

Btw, I don't have those numbers, but do you? Totally curious.

I agree. My argument in this tread, since the beginning (since page 2! which you dutifully dredged up) has not been political; my argument has been et...

you're really into porn, aren't you??? Like, you don't want to let it go...as in...you can't admit the first step...right...

That might have been misinformation. How does it relate to the topic, considering that you dredged up page 2 out of 16, from however long ago? Your un...

What arrangement? Hitler had his arrangement of belief. Pol Pot. Ad absurdum.

So the definition of the person is based on belief? (sorry, I thought I responded to this thread)

Case closed, then? Mine isn't. How?

Album cover and name are better than the record itself. But still nostalgic, for me, anyway. For fans of early Pink Floyd, and...90's pop?.... https:/...

As you've conceded by your response, my point is that there are none; or, rather, the only "studies" are those done by groups with a stake in the clai...

All good.

Ok, links of studies to drive home your point? So are addictions positive? Neutral? Negative? The point being: how can we cast a positive light on por...

Fair enough. Free speech over all.