Single Idea 7167

[catalogued under 1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 7. Despair over Philosophy]

Full Idea

We place a word at the point where our ignorance begins - where we can't see any further, e.g. the word 'I', the words 'do' and 'done to': these may be the horizons of our knowledge, but they are not 'truths'.

Gist of Idea

Words such as 'I' and 'do' and 'done to' are placed at the point where our ignorance begins

Source

Friedrich Nietzsche (Writings from Late Notebooks [1887], 05[3])

Book Reference

Nietzsche,Friedrich: 'Writings from the Late Notebooks', ed/tr. Bittner,Rüdiger [CUP 2003], p.106


A Reaction

A nice contribution to the debate over whether our understanding is restricted to what we can say. Compare Ideas 2937 and 6870. Nietzsche seems to support Wittgenstein. I prefer Keith Ansell Pearson.

Related Ideas

Idea 2937 What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence [Wittgenstein]

Idea 6870 I say (contrary to Wittgenstein) that philosophy expresses what we thought we must be silent about [Ansell Pearson on Wittgenstein]