Single Idea 3516

[catalogued under 19. Language / F. Communication / 4. Private Language]

Full Idea

I take the moral of the Private Language argument to be that there must be room for error in people's judgements about their experiences, not that those judgements must necessarily be expressed in a language used by a community.

Gist of Idea

The Private Language argument only means people may misjudge their experiences

Source

David Papineau (Philosophical Naturalism [1993], 4.4 n10)

Book Reference

Papineau,David: 'Philosophical Naturalism' [Blackwell 1993], p.112


A Reaction

These two readings don't seem to be in conflict, and the argument must have something to say about the communal nature of thought expressed in language. Language imposes introspection on us?