Single Idea 13989

[catalogued under 19. Language / D. Propositions / 6. Propositions Critique]

Full Idea

There are no substantial propositions...There is just a relation between grammatical structure and the logical structure of facts. 'Proposition' denotes the same as 'sentence' or 'statement'. A proposition is not what I think, but what I think or talk in.

Gist of Idea

There are no propositions; they are just sentences, used for thinking, which link to facts in a certain way

Source

Gilbert Ryle (Are there propositions? [1930], 'Conclusions')

Book Reference

Ryle,Gilbert: 'Collected Essays 2 1929-1968' [Routledge 2009], p.39


A Reaction

The conclusion of Ryle's discussion, but I found his support for propositions much more convincing than his critique of them, or his attempt at an alternative linguistic account. He never mentioned animals, so he self-evidently hasn't grasped the problem.