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Single Idea 16885

[from 'works' by Gottlob Frege, in 11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 2. Understanding ]

Full Idea

Frege famously realised that understanding a thought requires understanding its inferential connections to other thoughts.

Gist of Idea

To understand a thought, understand its inferential connections to other thoughts

Source

report of Gottlob Frege (works [1890]) by Tyler Burge - Frege on Knowing the Foundations 1

Book Reference

Burge,Tyler: 'Truth, Thought, Reason (on Frege)' [OUP 2001], p.337


A Reaction

If true, this is probably our greatest advance in grasping the concept of 'understanding' since Aristotle - but is it true? It is a striking and interesting idea, and central to the importance of Frege in modern analytic philosophy.