http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/language-is-a-city Just another bbPress community en-US Thu, 23 May 2013 10:04:34 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/search.php http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/language-is-a-city#post-292021 Wed, 13 Feb 2013 07:30:23 +0000 paultyler 292021@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ <p>That is what the downside of Wittgenstein. </p> http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/language-is-a-city#post-242481 Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:11:03 +0000 ginj 242481@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ <p>Interesting post. Stephen has mentioned his interest in Ludwig Wittgenstein on at least two prior occasions, so now I know where he got the analogy from. &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_wink.gif&quot; title=&quot;;)&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; Just a few weeks ago I did some minor investigation into who Wittgenstein was, and must admit that I was interested to learn more, but wasn&#39;t sure where to start. Perhaps you have given me a starting off point. &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_smile.gif&quot; title=&quot;:)&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; Thanks for the post and the suggestion. </p> http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/language-is-a-city#post-242439 Sun, 25 Jul 2010 05:30:02 +0000 Magistra_Corona 242439@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ <p>I noticed that Mr. Fry was particularly drawn to the image of language as a city. I can&#39;t remember to whom he attributed this image, but it was also a favourite of Ludwig Wittgenstein. His &#39;Philosophical Investigations&#39; is a text I treasure.</p> <p>Okay, enough gushing! Here is wonderful quote from Wittgenstein:<br /> &quot;...ask yourself whether our language is complete;---whether it was so before the symbolism of chemistry and the notation of the infinitesimal calculus were incorporated in it; for these are, so to speak, suburbs of our language. (And how many houses or streets does it take before a town begins to be a town?) Our language can be seen as an ancient city: a maze of little streets and squares, of old and new houses, and of houses with additions from various periods; and this surrounded by a multitude of new boroughs with straight regular streets and uniform houses.&quot;</p> <p>I encourage anyone who is interested in language to give the &#39;Philosophical Investigations&#39; a look in. As both a philosopher and a classicist, I have found this work to be the best on the topic. But beware, Wittgenstein does not make it easy; his aim is to show you how language works by teaching you to look at how language is used.</p> <p>-Magistra Corona. </p>