Truth always rests with the minority, and the minority is always stronger than the majority, because the minority is generally formed by those who really have an opinion, while the strength of a majority is illusory, formed by the gangs who have no opinion—and who, therefore, in the next instant (when it is evident that the minority is the stronger) assume its opinion ... while Truth again reverts to a new minority.
1 May 2008
Quote of the day: 30th April
Soren Kierkegaard:
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6 comments:
Hi,
this doesn't relate to the actual post, but I've just discovered your blog and saw that you're writing one on Wittgenstein as well, which reminded me of the following line: "Die Manier im Schreiben ist eine Art Maske hinter der das Herz seine Gesichter schneidet wie es will." (MS 183, p. 51)
"Ich habe ein bischen Deutsch in meine Schule gelernt aber..." it is not up to reading philosophy in German. "Was ist das auf English?"
I'm not sure my English is up to translating from German but it should mean something like this: "Style in writing is a sort of mask behind which the heart can make faces as it likes."
(Is this intelligible in English?)
Hi.... Sorry I didn't respond for fours days. I've been quite busy and writing 6 lines would have cut into my time! Or myabe that's just an excuse.
Do you have opinions as to what the quote means? Is it something like 'style of writing can be deceptive', 'writing in a particular way can disgusie thoughts or lead to lack of clarity', 'you can behind behind a style of writing because then you can think what you like even if nonsense'.
If it does mean something like that, is it a critcism? If so, he is complaining about people breaching his maxim "Whereof one cannot speak, one should pass over in silence". i.e. Say only what can be said.
Or something he considers necessary? That is because. he rarely keeps to that maxim. Not only that, the 'style' of his works is closely related to his positions. There are some situations where one 'needs' to use a particular style. There are some things that need to be conveyed in non-fact-stating language.
Also.... were you make a criticism of something I have said? Or my style? Or the subjects on my blog?
Or was it just a nice quote?
Dear Neil,
for the most part, yes, is was just a nice quote. As it happens, I've just read that particular manuscript a couple of days before I was directed to your W-blog (by N.N.). When I saw this one I was reminded of the quote and thought that maybe you chose the title because of that sentence.
As to the quote itself, I suppose it may refer to some of the things you suggest, but I wouldn't think it has anything to do with TLP 7. (I cannot be sure though since nothing in its context explains or clarifies what to make of that particular sentence.)
I certainly wasn't criticizing the style or subjects of your blog.
Keep up the good work,
á
About twenty minutes after writing my comment, I 'twigged' that you were referring to the title of my blog. Before that I hadn't even considered that as a possibility. It suddenly dawned on me.
But I felt I would look stupid if I wrote "Oh.. did you mean...?", retracting what I put, before you had replied (especially if you hadn't have been referring to my title after all!).
No... the title has nothing to do with Wittgenstein, per se. 'The hiding of the face'- hester panim in Hebrew- is a Jewish phrase which may in fact, bear resemblance to WIttenstein's "G-d does not reveal himself 'in' the world" i.e. an expression of His radical transecendence and so, our free will. For example, we can't see from the world that G-d exists, can't see from it how to act, can only see the world taking its natural course without needing recourse to G-d's intervention etc etc etc. As such, 'seeing' the world in the one way rather than the other is a matter of 'radical choice'; there is nothing that can determine it as G-d's world or as a completely natural one. And that choice ultimately rests on action.
I'm sure you didn't want to know that!!! But anyway, I now see why you wrote the comment and I feel a bit silly--- 'aspect blindness' perhaps.
I must write more for this blog. I always think of things but never get chance to write things down. Keep checking what I write on WIttgenstein though. That I want- need- to be regular
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