Apples in the Basket: The Implicatures

by JLS
for the GC.

From the London revue, BEYOND THE FRINGE, Angel CD ZDM 0777 7 64771 21.

The monologue, by J. Miller, is entitled"

"Portrait from Memory".

The programme note reads,

"The British philosopher Bertrand Russell was reminiscing on television a great deal in those days".

Presenter:

"This is the BBC Third Programme. We have in the studio Bertrand
Russell, who talks to us in the series, "Sense, Perception, & Nonsense,
Number Seven: Is this a *dagger* I see before me?".

Bertrand Russell:

"One of the advantages of living in Great Court, Trinity, I
seem to recall, was the fact that one could pop across, at any time of the
day or night, into trap of the then young G. E. Moore, into a logical
falsehood, by means of a cunning semantic subterfuge. I recall one occasion
with particular vividness. I had popped across and have knocked upon his
door.

"Come in," he said.

I decided to wait a while, in order to test the validity of his proposition.

"Come in," he said once again.

"Very well," I replied, "if that is in fact truly what you wish."

I opened the door accordingly, and went it. And there was Moore, seated by
the fire, with a basket upon his knees.

"Moore," I said, "Do you have any apples in that basket?".

"No," he replied, and smiled serathically, as was his wont. I decided to
try a different logical tack.

"Moore," I said, "do you, then, have SOME apples in that basket?".

"No," he replied, leaving me in a logical cleff stick from which I had but
one way out.

"Moore," I said, "do you, then, have APPLES in that basket?".

"Yes," he replied. And, from that day forth, we remained the very closest
of friends."