more on this theme | more from this thinker
Full Idea
Since any proposition can be put into a form with a subject and a predicate, united by a copula, it is natural to infer that every fact consists in the possession of a quality by a substance, which seems to me a mistake.
Clarification
'Is' is an example of a copula
Gist of Idea
As propositions can be put in subject-predicate form, we wrongly infer that facts have substance-quality form
Source
Bertrand Russell (Logical Atomism [1924], p.152)
Book Ref
Russell,Bertrand: 'Russell's Logical Atomism', ed/tr. Pears,David [Fontana 1972], p.152
A Reaction
This disagrees with McGinn on facts (Idea 6075). I approve of this warning from Russell, which is a recognition that we can't just infer our metaphysics from our language. I think of this as the 'Frege Fallacy', which ensnared Quine and others.
Related Idea
Idea 6075 Facts are object-plus-extension, or property-plus-set-of-properties, or object-plus-property [McGinn]
| 10968 | Russell gave up logical atomism because of negative, general and belief propositions [Russell, by Read] |
| 6107 | It is logic, not metaphysics, that is fundamental to philosophy [Russell] |
| 6109 | Some axioms may only become accepted when they lead to obvious conclusions [Russell] |
| 6108 | Maths can be deduced from logical axioms and the logic of relations [Russell] |
| 6110 | Subject-predicate logic (and substance-attribute metaphysics) arise from Aryan languages [Russell] |
| 6111 | As propositions can be put in subject-predicate form, we wrongly infer that facts have substance-quality form [Russell] |
| 6112 | Meaning takes many different forms, depending on different logical types [Russell] |
| 6113 | To mean facts we assert them; to mean simples we name them [Russell] |
| 6114 | 'Simples' are not experienced, but are inferred at the limits of analysis [Russell] |
| 6116 | A logical language would show up the fallacy of inferring reality from ordinary language [Russell] |
| 6115 | Vagueness, and simples being beyond experience, are obstacles to a logical language [Russell] |
| 6117 | Philosophy should be built on science, to reduce error [Russell] |
| 21722 | Better to construct from what is known, than to infer what is unknown [Russell] |
| 6118 | Philosophy is logical analysis, followed by synthesis [Russell] |