Philosophy Dictionary of ArgumentsHome | |||
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Arbitrariness: A. Arbitrariness is an everyday expression for a non-justified behavior or the refusal to give a reason for a behavior. For example, arbitrariness can arise in unfounded favor. B. In the narrower sense, arbitrariness is something subject to the will. Arbitrary action can be simulated by overriding regularities and thereby undermining expectability. See also conventions._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
Author | Concept | Summary/Quotes | Sources |
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Ludwig Wittgenstein on Arbitrariness - Dictionary of Arguments
II 230 Arbitrary/Arbitrariness/Convention: number systems are arbitrary. - Otherwise a different notation would correspond to different facts. II 231 Of course you can give sense to new sentences and symbols. - That is why the conventions are called arbitrary. >Conventions, >Symbols, >Sentences, >Sense. II 236 Arbitrariness/Arbitrary/Law/Physics/Laws of Nature/Wittgenstein: E.g. perturbations: it is arbitrary whether we declare our laws to be right, and say we just do not see the planet, or whether we call the laws incorrect. - If we say that a planet must be nearby, we define a grammatical rule. >Grammar, >Rules, >Laws. II 238 The laws of logic, such as those of the sentence of the excluded third are arbitrary! - In fact, we often use contradictions. - E.g. I like it and I do not like it. >Contradictions. --- VI 115 Arbitrariness/Arbitrary/Grammar/Rules/Purpose/Wittgenstein/Schulte: E.g. the rules of cooking are not arbitrary, because they are defined by the purpose of cooking. - On the other hand: Grammar: is not defined by the purpose of language - only the grammatical rules constitute the meaning. - Therefore, they are not committed to any meaning. >Meaning. - ((s) Grammar/Wittgenstein: = logic). --- IV 31 Not Arbitrary/Tractatus: the sign of the complex does not dissolve arbitrarily. - E.g. aRb. >Signs, >Complexes._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
W II L. Wittgenstein Wittgenstein’s Lectures 1930-32, from the notes of John King and Desmond Lee, Oxford 1980 German Edition: Vorlesungen 1930-35 Frankfurt 1989 W III L. Wittgenstein The Blue and Brown Books (BB), Oxford 1958 German Edition: Das Blaue Buch - Eine Philosophische Betrachtung Frankfurt 1984 W IV L. Wittgenstein Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (TLP), 1922, C.K. Ogden (trans.), London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. Originally published as “Logisch-Philosophische Abhandlung”, in Annalen der Naturphilosophische, XIV (3/4), 1921. German Edition: Tractatus logico-philosophicus Frankfurt/M 1960 |