more from Bertrand Russell

Single Idea 16480

[catalogued under 5. Theory of Logic / E. Structures of Logic / 2. Logical Connectives / e. or]

Full Idea

A disjunction is the verbal expression of indecision, or, if a question, of the desire to reach a decision.

Gist of Idea

A disjunction expresses indecision

Source

Bertrand Russell (An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth [1940], 5)

Book Reference

Russell,Bertrand: 'An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth' [Penguin 1967], p.80


A Reaction

Russell is fishing here for Grice's conversational implicature. If you want to assert a simple proposition, you don't introduce it into an irrelevant disjunction, because that would have a particular expressive purpose.