If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a somewhat different world.
Ludwig WittgensteinRead
It is an hypothesis that the sun will rise tomorrow: and this means that we do not know whether it will rise.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the uncertainty inherent in all predictions, even those we consider certain, like the sun rising.
Ludwig Wittgenstein's quote invites us to reflect on the nature of knowledge and belief. Even something as seemingly certain as the sun rising has an element of uncertainty; we operate under a hypothesis that it will rise again tomorrow, yet we cannot claim absolute knowledge. This perspective encourages humility in our claims to know the future and acknowledges the limitations of human understanding.
Themes
UncertaintyKnowledgeHypothesisPhilosophyTruth
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the nature of knowledge, one might reference Wittgenstein's quote to illustrate the limits of certainty.
More from Ludwig Wittgenstein
All quotes βOne cannot guess how a word functions. One has to look at its use and learn from that. But the difficulty is to remove the prejudice which stands in the way of doing this. It is not a stupid prejudice.
Ludwig WittgensteinRead
No one likes having offended another person; hence everyone feels so much better if the other person doesn't show he's been offended. Nobody likes being confronted by a wounded spaniel. Remember that. It is much easier patiently - and tolerantly - to avoid the person you have injured than to approach him as a friend. You need courage for that.
Ludwig WittgensteinRead
It's impossible for me to say one word about all that music has meant to me in my life. How, then, can I hope to be understood?
Ludwig WittgensteinRead
Nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself.
Ludwig WittgensteinRead
My day passes between logic, whistling, going for walks, and being depressed. I wish to God that I were more intelligent and everything would finally become clear to me - or else that I needn't live much longer.
Ludwig WittgensteinRead
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You have certainly observed the curious fact that a given word which is perfectly clear when you hear it or use it in everyday language, and which does not give rise to any difficulty when it is engaged in the rapid movement of an ordinary sentence becomes magically embarrassing, introduces a strange resistance, frustrates any effort at definition as soon as you take it out of circulation to examine it separately and look for its meaning after taking away its instantaneous function.
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I think a child should be allowed to take his father's or mother's name at will on coming of age. Paternity is a legal fiction.
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