Author Archives: Monte Shelley

March 1987 One. Suppose that someone says, “I have and use successfully a private language.” We ask: “Is this language made up of rules? (Standard patterns of symbol usage).” He will probably reply, “Indeed it is.” And we say: “How … Continue reading →

March 1987 The following arguments are attempts to show that private language is impossible, as inspired by the Philosophical Investigations of Ludvig Wittgenstein. Argument I. 1.   All language in use tends to drift (change meaning), because: (Each of the above … Continue reading →

March 1987 1.   There are two aspects to the logic of language: 2.   Micro-language functions to create meaning units by the addition and subtraction of meaning patterns in kernel sentences, which are semantically incomplete sentences of the language. 3.   There … Continue reading →

March 1987 Definition of “language”: A language is the public patterned expressions of an individual which have been established and normed in and relative to a physical and social context. Thus: Thinking is not a language, though it may use … Continue reading →

16 November 2016 Definition of the word “agent”: Webster: 1. A power that acts; a moving force; as by some other than human agent. 2. One who acts or performs an act or who has power to act; as, a … Continue reading →

Individual Freedom vs. Social Constraint Only individuals exist. Societies are conveniences of mind for understanding the relationships of individuals to one another. “A society” is not a sufficiently precise term to use in any definitive way. “Society” is a collective … Continue reading →