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Full Idea
'Obeying a rule' is a practice. And to think one is obeying a rule is not to obey a rule. Hence it is not possible to obey a rule 'privately': otherwise thinking one was obeying a rule would be the same thing as obeying it.
Gist of Idea
One cannot obey a rule 'privately', because that is a practice, not the same as thinking one is obeying
Source
Ludwig Wittgenstein (Philosophical Investigations [1952], §202)
Book Ref
Wittgenstein,Ludwig: 'Philosophical Investigations', ed/tr. Anscombe,E. [Blackwell 1972], p.81
A Reaction
The core of the Private Language argument. But if I drive on the right erroneously thinking it is the law, I can still make progress until I meet someone.
6165 | Every course of action can either accord or conflict with a rule, so there is no accord or conflict [Wittgenstein] |
4143 | One cannot obey a rule 'privately', because that is a practice, not the same as thinking one is obeying [Wittgenstein] |
7092 | If individuals can't tell if they are following a rule, how does a community do it? [Grayling on Wittgenstein] |
4158 | An 'inner process' stands in need of outward criteria [Wittgenstein] |
19269 | 'Quus' means the same as 'plus' if the ingredients are less than 57; otherwise it just produces 5 [Kripke] |
19271 | No rule can be fully explained [Kripke] |