Single Idea 5781

[catalogued under 19. Language / D. Propositions / 1. Propositions]

Full Idea

The important beliefs, even if they are not the only ones, are those which, if rendered into explicit words, take the form of a proposition.

Gist of Idea

Our important beliefs all, if put into words, take the form of propositions

Source

Bertrand Russell (On Propositions: What they are, and Meaning [1919], §III)

Book Reference

Russell,Bertrand: 'Logic and Knowledge', ed/tr. Marsh,Robert Charles [Routledge 1956], p.307


A Reaction

This assertion is close to the heart of the twentieth century linking of ontology and epistemology to language. It is open to challenges. Why is non-propositional belief unimportant? Do dogs have important beliefs? Can propositions exist non-verbally?