"Enough Of A Rationalist"

by JLS
for the GC

J was considering issues of empiricism, rationalism, and the synthetic a priori ("Revolutions in a Griceian Key", comments). I am reminded that in his famous "Logic and Conversation" -- the Grice that most people know -- Grice defines himself (if not his-self) as "enough of a rationalist". I always loved that phrase. So English! Try to say it in French! In the Romance languages, you cannot say "a" rationalist like that. "Enough" has a different structure in the Romance languages. In English, it strikes me as funny. He means he is Rationalist enough to... -- To what? Well, the context is very precise and I won't dwell on it here.

When I read Grice's "Reply to Richards", I was fascinated by a footnote. He is describing his temperament as that of a 'rationalism'. And the footnote expands that he feels like expanding that description to read, 'conservative, irreverent, dissenting rationalism".

So, what kind of rationalism was Grice's 'enough of a rationalist rationalism'?

Perhaps the clearest account is that of Taylor/Cameron in their rather elementary "Analysing Conversation": there's a chapter for empiricism -- of the type practiced by Sir E. Gardiner (of "The Theory of Speech and Language") versus a separate chapter of Griceian rationalism proper. While neither Taylor nor Cameron are philosophers (and thus use 'rationalism' rather differently) they hit in the head, one may think.

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Back to J's point. The debate between empiricism and rationalism is not an easy one. So many distinctions at play. I tend to think of Grice as mainly an empiricist, an introspectionist, and perhaps a phenomenologist. The deeper he dwelt on those 'pragmatic constraints' of language and communication, the stronger he felt rationalism was the key. And he would later extend his 'rationalist' views to areas other than the philosophy of language.

With Baron Quinton it's all too different. Few other than Grice, in the generation of Oxford philosophers he belonged to, felt the need to show any serious respect for something as continental as rationalism! When you think that among the publications by Quinton we find an essay for "Victorian Studies" on "The Neglect of Victorian Philosophy" you may get my drift!

Etc.