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| 22381 | Being a good father seems to depend on intentions, rather than actual abilities |
| Full Idea: Being a good father, or daughter, or friend seems to depend on one's intentions, rather than on such things as cleverness and strength. | |||
| From: Philippa Foot (Goodness and Choice [1961], p.138) | |||
| A reaction: Not sure about that. In wartime a good father might need to be actually brave, and in times of hardship be actually economically successful. 'He meant well, but he was a hopeless father'? |
| 22380 | Some words, such as 'knife', have a meaning which involves its function |
| Full Idea: The word 'knife' names an object in respect of its function. That is not to say (simply) that it names an object which has a function, but also that the function is involved in the meaning of the word. | |||
| From: Philippa Foot (Goodness and Choice [1961], p.134) | |||
| A reaction: It seems faintly possible that someone (a child, perhaps) could know the word and recognise the object, but not know what the object is for. Ditto with other things which have functional names. |