The Earliest Grice

Jones, post to this blog:

"Though [Carnap's] principle of tolerance is in LSL [Logische Aufbau der Welt] and seems to have roots in his student days. As you can see in the extract from the Bio in our conversation draft, it is remarkable how many of the key views which characterise Carnap's mature philosophy have precursors in his pre-Vienna youth."

Hear, hear. I was recently commenting on Grice's early years elsewhere. I told them about Grice's growing up in a household, and experiencing at every dinner almost, the fights of a nonconformist father and a devoted catholic convert of a spinster aunt (his mother's sister -- nee Felton) as having shaped his views. Someone said, "No wonder Grice grew out to be the philosopher he grew out to be." But of course there IS wonder. There is ALWAYS wonder.

For Grice, what he got from his father ("a dreadful businesman, but a fine musician" -- note the conventional implicature of 'but' cancelled out) while 'not as persistent as my mother's', was pretty strong. A sort of pre-Hardie days. From Hardie, Grice learned to argue (and play golf) -- Clifton could be VERY dogmatic, in the high C. of E. sort of way --. From his father, Grice learned to provide reasons. Something his aunt could NOT tolerate, the dogmatic Popist she was.