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Full Idea
Our concern in giving a definition is not to say how things are by to say how we wish to speak
Gist of Idea
Definitions concern how we should speak, not how things are
Source
Kit Fine (Precis of 'Limits of Abstraction' [2005], p.310)
Book Ref
-: 'Philosophical Studies' [-], p.310
A Reaction
This sounds like an acceptable piece of wisdom which arises out of analytical and linguistic philosophy. It puts a damper on the Socratic dream of using definition of reveal the nature of reality.
| 10527 | An abstraction principle should not 'inflate', producing more abstractions than objects [Fine,K] |
| 10528 | Definitions concern how we should speak, not how things are [Fine,K] |
| 10529 | If Hume's Principle can define numbers, we needn't worry about its truth [Fine,K] |
| 10530 | Hume's Principle is either adequate for number but fails to define properly, or vice versa [Fine,K] |