Grice in the (Meinongian) Jungle: Quadratura Circuli

Grice says, "We don't want (no) Meinongian jungle" (Vacuous Names). He knew what he was talking about.

Consider WoW:iii:

"We SHOULD, perhaps, continue
to call gramophone records _discs_ even
if, say, they came to be made square.
Provided, that is, that they remain NOT TOO
UNLIKE our current discs, in thus the
original, etymologically relevant,
general sense of the lexeme, 'disc'".
(Perhaps the word 'cylinder' exemplifies
the same feature)"

----

MATH.

Teacher: Draw a circle

(Student draws a squar)

"Perhaps we SHOULD continue
to call circles 'circles' even if,
say, they came to be made square"

"Perhaps the word 'cylinder' exemplifies
the same feature."

The Math teacher should know.

Cheers,

JL


ps. a 'square circle' inhabits, for Meinong, the class of 'irreal objects'. In the terms of Strawson/Grice, "In defense of a dogma", it inhabits, rather, the class of oxy-moronic objects. Take your pick.