Monday, February 8, 2010

Et In Arcadia Ego: Initial "And" Refuted

In WoW:iii Grice plays with an idea by Wilson, Statement and Inference, to the effect that for each of the three connectives, there is an erotetic reason:

pq p and q
No need to 'verbalise' the union. "And" could go silent.
The only point of 'and' is to allow for the co-utterer
to utter an appropriate reply to a complex question,
"Is it raining and snowing?"

pvq contingency planning

p->q embedded questions, "If Wren killed Robin, Wren gets life?"

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Therefore, utterances starting with "And", Grice saw, were 'inconsequential'-- "for they are really not conjoining anything unless we mean the whole universe?"

--And did those feet in ancient times

Etc.

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