From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Thu Nov 21 2002 - 17:09:06 GMT
Hi Trivik:
> > Seems like you're making a lot of absolute statements
> it may look like that, but i was trying to show what someone else
> stated on this fouroum, i.e. that you cannot say that quality is absolute,
> or not-absolute, or neiher. It's simply incoherent. yes i geleive that the
> most important things cannot be said, (and so cannot have static latches)
> but merely shown (refering to dq)
Thanks. Got it. I agree that the most important things, like reality,
cannot be put into language of any kind--absolute, contingent or
otherwise.
> > Also, what's with no capital letters in your posts?
> didn't notice, though the spellings would be courtasy my dislexia (i'd
> blame lazzyness)
>
> > Some sort of protest against correct English?
> read (it's only a few lines long)
> http://www.sidis.net/amerlingo.htm
> it's by William James Sidis the 'genius' prisig talks about in Lila
Great site! Wasn't aware of it at all and never occurred to me to look.
Thanks for the referral. His little essay on American lingo is fun, like
something H.L.Mencken might have written. The value of using "literary
English" is that it makes it easier for your reader to understand what
you're saying since that's what he is in the habit of reading. In fact,
that's really the reason for grammar in the first place, to clarify
communication. I doubt if Pirsig's books would have even been
published if he hadn't written grammatically. No doubt there's some
snob appeal in there, too. But to deliberately avoid using literary English
also has its own snob appeal.
> > Is this what they're teaching these days at UPenn?
> not only do i not let school interfeer with my education, but make it have
> as little to do with it as circustances alow, so no need to go and make
> generizations.
Good line. I was just wondering if UPenn has any standards left.
Harvard, for example, doesn't give grades to anyone any more. You can
get a Harvard degree and be illiterate. To quote somebody named
Anonymous, "If everything is of equal value, then everything is equally
worthless."
Platt
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