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Single Idea 18719

[filed under theme 2. Reason / F. Fallacies / 8. Category Mistake / b. Category mistake as syntactic ]

Full Idea

If grammar says that you cannot say that a sound is red, it means not that it is false to say so but that it is nonsense - i.e. not a language at all.

Gist of Idea

Grammar says that saying 'sound is red' is not false, but nonsense

Source

Ludwig Wittgenstein (Lectures 1930-32 (student notes) [1931], B IX.6)

Book Ref

Wittgenstein,Ludwig: 'Lectures in Cambridge 1930-32', ed/tr. Lee,Desmond [Blackwell 1980], p.47

A Reaction

I am baffled as to why he thinks 'grammar' is what prohibits such a statement. Surely the world, the nature of sound and colour, is what makes the application of the predicate wrong. Sounds aren't coloured, so they can't be red. False, not nonsense.

The 5 ideas with the same theme [category mistakes as result of syntax errors]:

18719 Grammar says that saying 'sound is red' is not false, but nonsense [Wittgenstein]
18735 Talking nonsense is not following the rules [Wittgenstein]
18011 Category mistakes seem to be universal across languages [Magidor]
18012 Category mistakes as syntactic needs a huge number of fine-grained rules [Magidor]
18013 Embedded (in 'he said that…') category mistakes show syntax isn't the problem [Magidor]